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UNIVERSITY.  OR 
NORTH  CARQUNft 

Sck..l  •(    Libiany 
3cleae« 


C6e  JU&tarp 

of  t£e 

(Unitsergitp  of  Jftorti)  Carolina 


W$i&  book  toag  presented 


3osepk     h\jjde    Pratt 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00022245722 


This  BOOK  may  be  kept  out  TWO  WEEKS 
ONLY,  and  is  subject  to  a  fine  of  FIVE 
CENTS  a  day  thereafter.  It  was  taken  out  on 
the  day  indicated  below: 


Lib.  10M-N  '37 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/familyflightthroOhale 


MA  (IY  HOKN  liii  AT   IJTTKKT.AK  F.N. 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT 


THROUGH 


FRANCE,  GERMANY,  NORWAY  AND 
SWITZERLAND 


BY 

Rev.  E.  E.  HALE  and  Miss  SUSAN  HALE 


ILLUSTRATED 


BOSTON 
D.  LOTHROP  &  COMPANY 

Fit  AN  KLIN    STREET 


COPYRIGHT,      l88l, 

Bv  '.:>.  Lothrop  &  Company 


CONTENTS. 


Pagb. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Ark  You  ready  ?     Go  ! .' 15 

CHAPTER  II. 
Ox  Deck   24 

CHAPTER  III. 

HOW    IT     CAME    ABOUT 3 1 

CHAPTER   IV. 
What  came  about 41 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Voyage 49 

CHAPTER   VI. 
The   Bells 60 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Arrival 66 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
Dear    Paris 76 

CHAPTER   IX. 
Sight-Seeing 8^ 

**"  CHAPTER  X. 

^        A  Visit 96 

5.  CHAPTER  XI. 

Versailles io^ 


6  Contents. 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Tommy's  Lark 1 16 

CHAPTER   XIII. 
The  Louvre 123 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Last  Days  in  Paris 135 

CHAPTER   XV. 
Out  of  France 1 44 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Into  Germany 151 

CHAPTER  XVI L 
Christmas 160 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Mr.  Hervey 170 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Weimar 181 

CHAPTER   XX. 
Dresden 192 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
St.  Elizabeth 205 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Eisenach 214 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 
A  Bomb 223 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Berlin 234 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Separation 248 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Copenhagen 259 

CHAPTER    XXVII. 
Norway 268 


Contents.  7 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

The  John  Schoning 278 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Reindeer 285 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
Returning • 294 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
Meeting 304 

CHAPTER   XXXII. 
Heidelberg 314 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
The  Bodensee 325 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
William  Tell 336 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
The    Glacier 346 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
Interlaken 355 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
Vevay 366 

CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 
Geneva . 374 

CHAPTER    XXXIX. 
Paris  Again 383 

CHAPTER  XL. 
Facing   Homeward 395 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Mary  Horner  :   at  Interlaken 

Chateau  of  Maisons 

Good  Luck 

At  the  Pier      . 

A  Rosebud  Boy 

A  Bootblack    . 

One  of  the  Flower  Girls 

Trinity  Church 

Her  favorit<iti*Rose   . 

Orange  Woman 

At  the  Gun      . 

Busy  Broadway 

Mary  Horner  . 

Miss  Augusta  Lejeune 

Bacharach 

Bessie's  Dream 

Bessie's  best  Doll     . 

Poor  Mamma . 

An  Excursion  Steamer 

Neighbor  at  the  Window 

Stern  of  Steam-ship 

The  Steamer    . 

Bessie 

Mr.  Levi 

Mary's  first  Sketch  . 

Mt.  Desert 

Bruno's  Escape 

Mrs.  Freeman 

Coast  of  France 

The  Coast  of  Normandy 

On  the  Packet 

Havre  from  a  Distance 

St.  Ouen,  Rouen 


Front. 
14 

IS 

16 

16 
18 
l9 

21 

25 
26 
28 
3° 
33 
37 
39 
40 

4i 
44 
46 
48 

5° 
51 
54 
55 
56 
57 
58 
64 

65 
67 
69 

70 
72 


List  of  Illustrations. 


Rouen     ..... 

Rouen  from  the  River     . 

Ministry  of  War :     Paris. 

Boulevard  Montmartre    . 

Waiter     ..... 

Vendome  Column   . 

Hotel  DeVille 

Bridge  of  St.  Louis 

Plan  of  the  Tuileries  and  Louvre 

Colonne  de  Juillet  . 

Old  Paris         .... 

The  Opera       .... 

Church  of  the  Madeleine 

Place  De  La  Concorde     . 

Cleopatra's  Needle  at  Home   . 

De  Pare  Monceau   . 

St.  Clotilde      .... 

Ornamented  Initial . 

Triumphal  Arch 

Paris  Under  ground 

At  the  Book-stalls    . 

Hotel  des  Invalides 

Pont  Neuf        .... 

Napoleon's  Tomb    . 

Tower  St.  Jacques  . 

Steam  Tramway 

Plan  of  Versailles     . 

Garden  laid  out  by  Le  Notre  . 

Chateau  of  St.  Germain   . 

Robert  de  Cotte,  Architect  of  Louis 

State  Equipage 

Notre  Dame  Church 

At  St.  ( 'loud    .... 

Outside  the  Palais  Bourbon     . 

M.  Gambetta  .... 

Outside  the  Bourse 

Louvre    ..... 

Picture  in  the  Louvre 

Palace  of  the  Luxembourg 

Palais  Royal,  View  from  the  Square 

Palais  Royal,  View  from  the  Garden 

Landscape  in  the  Louvre 

Guido's  Saint  Sebastian  . 


XIV 


73 
74 
75 

77 
7S 

79 
82 

84 

85 
86 

87 

89 
90 

91 
92 

93 

95 
96 

97 

99 
100 
101 
103 
104 

IOS 
106 
109 
1 1 1 
112 

IX3 
114 

"5 

11S 
120 
121 
122 

I23 
124 
126 
127 
127 
130 
J3* 


List  of  Illustrations. 


By  Alma  Tadema 

In  an  Omnibus 

Old  Court-yard 

Strasburg  Railway  Station,  Paris 

The  Leader     . 

Miss  Stuyvesant 

On  the  Boulevard 

Snowing  . 

French  Roofs  . 

The  Pointsman 

The  Emperor  Barbarossa  and  Pope  Adrian 

French  Chateau 

Mayence 

Mayence  Cathedral 

Statue  of  Gutenberg 

Palm  Garden  . 

Frankfort :  Luther's  House 

German  Children     . 

A  German  Kitchen  . 

Bessie  in  the  Snow-storm 

Louis       .... 

Christmas-tree  Market     . 

Hamburg  Market-woman 

St.  Henry 

Henry  VI. 

Henry  VII.      . 

Karl  IV.  ... 

Jews'  Quarters,  Frankfort 

Maximilian 

Heligoland 

Drei  Gleichen . 

Dresden  :  The   Zwinger,   interior  View 

Statues  of  Goethe  and  Schiller  at  Weimar 

Leipsic  :  St.  Nicholas   Church 

Rath-Haus,  Leipsic 

Halle  :  the  Market-place 

Dresden  :   Bridge  over  the  Elbe 

Dresden  ..... 

Madonna  De  San  Sisto    . 

Enamel  Frame  in  the  green  Vault 

Dresden  :  Entrance  to  the  Zwinger,  and  Statue  of  Frederick  Augustus 

Saxon  Switzerland  :  The  Prebischthor,  a  colossal    natural  Arch 

Die  Wartburg  Bei  Eisenach 


List  of  Illustrations. 


The  Wartburg:  Castle  Court 

The  Parting     . 

Frederick  II.  putting  on  the  Crown  of  Jerusalem 

"  The  Storks  are  here  !  "  cried  Tommy 

Das  Annathal  Bei  Eisenach 

No  great  Enthusiasm 

Isabella  of  Portugal,  Wife  of  Charles  V. 

Charles  V. 

Luther  in  the  Cell    . 

Wild  Flowers  . 

Midnight  Sun  . 

Bessie's  Playmates  . 

Norwegian  Carriage 

Monument  of  Victory,  Berlin 

King  William  . 

Palace  of  the  Crown  Prince 

Queen  Louise  and  Napoleon 

Brandenburg  Gate  . 

Zoological  Garden  . 

Berlin  :  Statue  of  Frederick  the  Great 

Bergen     .... 

Antwerp  Cathedral 

Trondhjem  Cathedral 

Woods  at  Heringsdorf     . 

Fiddler    .... 

Leaving  for  Copenhagen 

The  Exchange :  Copenhagen 

Danish  Chateau 

Tycho  Brahe  Observatory 

Summer  Residence  of  the  King  :    Christiania 

Street  in  Christiania 

Old  House  in  Norway 

Old  Storehouse  in  Norway 

Travelling  by  <  "arriolc 

The  Vettifos  Waterfall     . 

( >]<1  Bridge  in  the  Mountains 

Rom-Dalshorn 

Romsdal  Valley 

'Hie  Cat  . 

fori  Munkholmen,  near  Trondhjem 

Trondhjem 

Church  of  the  twelfth  Century 

Hestmam 


List  of  Illustrations. 


Torghatten  .... 
Svolvaer  in  the  Lofodens 
Cathedral  Church,  Tromso 
Lapps  ..... 
North  Cape  .... 
Coast  View  .... 
Waterfall  .... 

Skirting  the  Tyrifjord 
Norwegian  Minister 
On  Our  Way  Southward 
Lazeretto         .         . 
Christiansand  .... 
Mary's  Boots  .... 
Amsterdam      .... 

Holland 

In  Brussels       .... 

Drachenfels     .... 

Coblenz  and  Ehrenbreitstein  . 

A.  D.  1400  ,     . 

Mouse  Tower  .... 

Miss  Challoner 

Frederick  Building  of  Heidelberg  C 

On  the  Terrace 

Heidelberg  Bridge   . 

Heidelberg  and  Castle,  Plan  of 

French  at  Heidelberg,  1799 

View  from  the  Path  above 

Munich  :  the  Bavaria  and  the  Hall 

American  Car 

Ornamented  Initial 

The  Bodensee 

High  up  on  the  Gabris    . 

Fraiilein  Fischer 

St.  Gallen         .... 

Zurich      ..... 

Old  Woman  from  Appenzell     . 

An  agreeable  Person 

Lake  of  Zug     .... 

View  from  the  Rigi 

From  the  Schweizerhof  :  Lucerne 

"Lion  of  Lucerne" 

Waegsfis  ..... 


astle 


of  Fame 


282 

2S4 
285 
286 
289 
291 

295 
297 

29S 

299 

300 

301 

3°5 
306 

307 
3°7 
308 

3°9 
310 

311 
3*3 

315 
3i7 
3*Z 
320 
322 
323 
324 

3-5 
326 

329 
33i 
332 
333 
334 
335 
336 
337 
333 
339 
34° 
34i 


List  of  Illustrations. 


13 


Gessler    . 
Brunnen 

The  Diligence 

Waterfall  on  the  Reuss 

People  they  met,  1    . 

Storm  in  the  Valley 

People  they  met.  2    . 

Glacier    . 

Interlaken 

At  the  Top  of  the  Fall 

Wellhorn 

Boating  on  the  Lake  of  Brienz 

Wetterhorn 

Berne  Minster 

Berne 

On  the  Gallery 

At  another  Table 

Lake  Leman 

Montreux 

Field  Flowers 

Geneva    . 

The  pretty  Widow  . 

Statue  of  Rousseau 

A  carved  Fan 

Distant  View  of  Geneva 

Place  Vendome  again 

Flow  well  Tommy  remembered  ! 

Tuileries  . 

Telescope,  Paris  ( >bservatory 

Hotel  Cluny     . 

Seine        .... 

At  Boulogne    . 

Folkestone 

At  the  London  Terminus 

London  in  the  olden  Times 

Tower  of  London 

From  the  Window   . 

On  the  Thames 

Liverpool  Bay 

Bears 

Arizona's  Wheel 

From  the  Steamer's  Deck 


;66 

;6: 


34-^ 
343 

346 
34S 
349 
35° 
351 
35- 
355 
357 

359 
360 

361 

362 

364 
3< 

3^ 
369 
371 
373 
574 
376 
377 

3  1^ 

379 
3«i 
382 

383 

3^4 
38G 

387 
388 
389 

39  * 
395 
391 
39  5 
397 
400 
401 
403 
405 


CHATEAU    OK    MAISONS. 


A    FAMILY    FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ARE    YOU   READY?     GO ! 

HERE  is  Tom !" 

It  was  certainly  the  fifth  time  that  this  question 
has  been  asked  since  breakfast.  To  the  some- 
what excited  apprehension  of  Mr.  Horner,  it 
seemed  the  twentieth.  For  Mr.  Horner,  though 
a  man  of  affairs,  was  a  little  thrown  off  his  bal- 
ance, now. 

"  I  don't  care  where  he  is,"  said  he.  "  Let 
him  stay  with  the  newsboys,  if  he  wants  to." 

The  occasion  was  the  filing  under  sheds,  be- 
tween piles  of  oranges  and  cotton  bales,  news- 
boys and  draymen,  of  a  procession,  male  and 
female,  old  and  young,  which  tumbled  out,  both 
hands  of  everybody  full,  from  carriages  on  the 
street,  and  in  disorderly  order  came  in  sight  of  the 
black  hull  of  the  St.  Laurent,  on  the  outside  of  the  landing-sheds  of  the 
Compagnie  Generate  Trans-Atlantique.  This  procession  was  the  Horner 
family,  leaving  New  York  for  Havre.  Tom  was  the  youngest  of  this 
family,  and  he  had  now  disappeared  for  the  fifth  time  since  breakfast, 
"Never  fear  for  Tom,"  said  Philip,  who  had  risen  to  the  emergencies 
of  a  departure,  and  allied  himself  to  the  side  of  authority.  "Never 
fear  for   Tom,    I    will    see   to    him   as   soon   as  I   leave  mamma's  things 


16 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


in  her  state-room.     This  way,  mamma.    This  way,  Bessie.     Papa,  you 
are  quite   wrong.** 

For  Phil  had  been  on  board  three  times  already  with  other  boys  from 


AT   THE   PIER. 


Mr.  Newell's  school,  on    one  pretext  or  another,  and   was    proud    of 

being  the  pilot. 

Across  the  gangway,  where  even  the  most  timid  could  not  tremble  ; 

between  chattering  French  bonnes  and  dirty  travelling  pedlars  ;  declining 

endless  invitations  to  purchase  rosebuds,  neglecting  all  overtures  from 

white-aproned  waiters, 
who  wished  to  take 
from  him  his  mother's 
umbrella,  camp-stool, 
novel,  Bible,  and  plaid 
which,  at  the  last  mo- 
ment, Phil  had  taken 
in  charge,  lie  threaded 
the  way  through  the 
large,  dark  saloon.  He 
pushed  between  a  box 
of  Apollinaris  water 
and  a  steward  with  a 
tray,  carrying  cham- 
pagne ;  he  threw  open 
a  state-room  door,  and 
said  with  exultation, 
"  There  !  "  This  was 
the  large  and  spacious  apartment  of  which  Mrs.  Horner  had  heard  so 
much.     Alas  for  human  expectations  and  the  limitations  of  language  ! 


ARE  YOU  READY?   GO!  17 

"Now/'  said  Phil,  "I  will   find  Tom." 

In  Jacob  Abbott's  travelling  directions  the  instructions  for  finding  a 
lost  boy  are  these:  "Look  for  him  where  the  monkeys  are.*'  These 
directions  Phil  remembered.  But  there  were  no  monkeys  within  a  mile 
of  the  pier.     Phil  thought  of  the  steerage  passengers. 

He  ran  down  the  pier  to  the  place  where  they  were  buying  their  tin 
mugs,  and  the  rest  of  their  outfit. 

For,  if  you  be  a  child  of  the  public,  and  travel  in  the  steerage,  Europe 
requires  none  of  the  long  preparations  which  luxury  exacts.  If  you 
are  so  fortunate  as  to  travel  as  the  masses  do,  you  say  at  eleven 
o'clock,  "  I  think  I  will  go  across,  and  see  the  old  folks  !  "  You  take  an 
Eight  Avenue  car  up-town,  for  five  cents  ;  you  run  to  the  ticket  office 
on  the  pier,  as  if  it  were  the  feny  to  Jersey  City,  and  you  buy  your 
ticket  there.  There  is  a  woman  handy  at  a  bench,  who  will  sell  you  a  tin 
mug,  a  towel  if  you  need,  a  basin  if  you  are  particular,  and  a  brush  and 
comb  if  you  are  luxurious  ;  and  having  bought  these,  you  go  on  board. 
As  you  cross  the  gangway,  the  man  in  charge  cries,  "All  ashore!"  the 
landsmen  leave  the  ship,  and  you  cross  the  ocean  and  see  your  father. 
For  the  Homers,  alas  !  because  they  were  more  luxurious,  more  prepara- 
tion had  been  necessary  ;  and  so  it  was  that  they  had  lost  Tom,  and  that 
Phil  was   in   search   of  him. 

But  Phil's  first  dive  for  Tom  was  wrong.  He  was  net  bivying  a  tin 
cup  nor  a  wash-basin. 

"  Here's  your  nice  oranges,  seven  for  a  shilling,"  said  a  stout  woman 
holding  an  orange  in  one  hand,  and  opening  a  paper  box  with 
another. 

Phil  did  not  lose  his  temper,  but  asked  it"  a  little  boy  had  bought 
oranges.     Not  a   boy  had   been    near   the   place. 

Phil  looked  for  an  officer.  Nobody  but  the  uniformed  men  of  the 
steamer  were  to  be  seen.  They  were  amused,  interested,  but 
stupid;    and  spoke  no   language    to   any  purpose,    but    French. 

Phil  tried  the  boys  selling  newspapers,  also,  but  they  were  amused, 
and  did  their  best  to  sell  him.  He  tried  a  bootblaek  with  no  better 
luck. 

At    this     moment,   a   very   portly   policeman    in    full    metropolitan 


18 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


uniform,  strutted  with  dignity  through   the  spectators  and    idlers,  and 
touched  the  gangway  man   with  his  baton. 

"  Go  and  call  the 
ship's  doctor !  " 

The  first  mate  was 
standing  close  by,  and 
quickened  the  m  a  n 
who  was  underneath : 
"Vite,vite;  parici!" 
he  cried  out,  pointing: 
to  the  upper  deck, 
where  the  doctor  was 
standing.  The  police- 
man turned  slowly  up, 
saying  quietly  to  the 
Frenchman, "  The  boy 
has  broken  his  leg." 

Phil's     heart    sunk 
within    him.     But  he 
rushed  up  through  all 
the     sheds, — jostling 
porters    and    express- 
men, and  steerage  peo- 
ple with  indifference, 
—  came  out  into  the 
sunlight,  and   there  was  master  Tom,  sitting  on   an    upturned  bucket, 
with  a  little  dirty  baby  lying  across  his  knees,  whose  mother,  on  her 
knees,  was  washing  the  child's  face. 

In  fact,  nobody's  leg  was  broken.  That  was  the  policeman's  exag- 
geration. The  incident  was  well-nigh  exhausted.  Tom  had  not  been 
able  to  resist  the  temptation  to  help  these  people  out  from  the  furniture 
wagon  which  had  brought  their  trunks.  The  baby  was  rolled  in  the  mud 
by  a  big  dog.  Tom  went  into  the  mud  for  him,  as  his  costume  well 
indicated.  And  when  Phil  led  him  from  the  scene  in  triumph,  he  was 
more  dirty  than  he  ever  remembered  to  have  been  before. 


A   BOOTRI.ACK. 


ARE  YOU  READY?    GO! 


19 


"  Here's  your  Sun,  —  Herald,  —  Express,  —  Graphic,  and  all  the  late 
second  editions,  for  a  quarter ! " 

"Here's  your  seven  fresh  oranges  for  a  shilling!"1 

"Here's  your  nice  new   cups  —  no   soft  soder  about  them  —  towels, 
and  basins !  " 

"Please  take  some  flowers,"   said  a   shabby  girl,  courtesying. 

But  Phil  resisted 
all  these  syrens. 

"  Come  across  the 
forward  passage  here. 
Tom  !  I  can  clean 
you  before  mamma 
sees  you  !  " 

Actually,  the  boy 
succeeded  in  leading 
his  muddy  brother  to 
their  state-room  unde- 
tected. In  a  minute 
Tom's  valise  was  open  ; 
he  was  bidden  to  dress 
himself  in  his  "next 
better-most "  clothes. 
Phil  loitered  on  deck, 
as  if  unconcerned,  just 
as  Air.  Horner  was 
adjusting  his  wife's 
arm-chair.  Mr.  Horner 
had  already  forgotten 
that    Tom    was    lost. 

But  Mrs.   Horner   said,   "Oh,    Phil,  are  you    there?     I    was  afraid   you 
were  lost  too.     What  have  you  done  with  Tom  ; " 

"  Oh,  Tom  is  in  our  state-room,  mamma,     He  will  be  up  in  a  minute." 

Thus    did    the    prudent   lad    save  his    brother    from    one    reprimand. 

"  That's  better  than  could  be  hoped,"  said  his  mother.     "When  they 
asked   for   the  doctor,  I   was  afraid   Tom's   neck    was   broken." 


o.\K   OF   TUE   FLOWKK   OUiL> 


20  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

One  worry  had  driven  out  another,  and  the  boys  found,  not  for  the- 
nrst  time,  that  Tom's  absence  had  not  been  so  much  noticed  as  it 
really  deserved ;  the  cause  of  anxiety  now  was  the  non-appearance  of 
Miss  Augusta  Lejeune. 

"I  knew  it  would  be  so,"  plaintively  said  Mrs.  Horner.  "My  plan 
was  a  great  deal  better,  that  she  should  spend  the  night  with  us  and 
be  all  ready  to  start  in  the  morning.  To  be  sure,  she  hates  an  early 
breakfast." 

"  I  never  could  find  out,"  said  Mr.  Horner,  "  why  we  had  it  an 
hour  earlier  than  usual,  as  the   boat  does  not  start  till  twelve." 

"My  dear,  we  should  never  have  got  here,  if  we  had  had  a  minute 
less  time,"  rejoined   his  wife. 

He  looked  at  his  watch.  "  It  is  only  half-past  eleven,"  he  said, 
"She  is  sure  to  be  here." 

They  were  all  anxious,  though.  The  two  girls,  Mary  and  Bessie,  stood 
watching  the  streams  of  people  passing  up  the  gangway,  hoping  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  Miss  Lejeune,  while  they  kept  up  a  desultory  talk 
with  their  cousins,  who  had  come  to  see  them  off,  and  who  stood  about 
without  much  to  say,  beyond  envying  them  the  trip,  and  urging  them  to 
be  sure  to  write.  The  moment  is  too  confused  for  deep  thought  or 
the  interchange  of  serious  sentiment,  and  it  is  hard  to  fill  up  the  time 
with  frivolities. 

At  last  there  seemed  an  unusual  movement  at  the  passage  way  nearest 
them;  the  buzz  of  voices,  laughter,  and  gay  chattering;  and  Miss  Lejeune 
appeared  below,  escorted  by  two  or  three  gentlemen  and  one  or  two 
ladies,  all   carrying  bouquets  or  parcels. 

"  Here  we  are,"  called  Philip,  leaning  over  the  rail.  Miss  Augusta 
looked  up  and  nodded,  and  with  her  escort  joined  them  above 
in  a  few  moments. 

"Well,  Augusta,  I  knew  you  would  be  late  !"  reproachfully  said 
Mrs.  Horner. 

"My  dear,  there  is  half  an  hour  yet,  but  I  did  mean  to  be  here 
sooner.  It  is  so  hard  to  get  away,  though!  And  we  had  a  lovely 
breakfast.  See  all  these  flowers !  What  shall  I  do  with  them  T 
Mr.  Strain,  do  not  hold  them  any  longer.     Put  then  down  anywhere. 


TRINITY  CHURCH. 


21 


ARE  YOU  READY?   GO!  2S 

Has  anybody  seen  my  ship-chair  ?  Oh,  thank  you,  Mr.  Horner ;  how 
thoughtful !  Here  it  is,  close  by  the  others.  Are  we  all  here?  Where 
is  my  friend  Tommy?  " 

At  this  precise  moment  Tommy  appeared  from  below.  A  vague 
thought  passed  through  his  mother's  mind  that  those  were  not  the  clothes 
she  had  seen  him  in  last ;  but  the  idea  was  diverted  by  talk  and  introduc- 
tions, and  last  words  to  all  the  friends. 

Mr.  Agry,  che  partner  of  her  father,  had  a  great  deal  of  teasing 
with  Bessie,  by  way  of  farewell. 

"  Now,  Bessie,  what  do  you  expect  to  see  abroad  that  will  repay  you 
for  going  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Oh,  a  great  many  things,*'  said  Bessie,  rather  embarrassed. 
"Such  as  what?     Come,  now,"  he  persisted. 
"Well,  mountains  and  churches  — "  the  child  began  vaguely. 
"  Churches !    now  I  will  venture   to   bet   with   you,  Bessie,  a  pound 
of  the  best  sugar-plums  you  can  buy  in   Europe   that  you  do  not  see 
.a  single  church  finer  than  Trinity  church,  in  New  York." 

"  I  do  not  believe  I  know  how   Trinity  church  looks,"  replied  the 
frank  Bessie,   blushing.     "  I  must  have  passed  it  ever  so  many  times, 
but  I  do  not  look  at   these  things  much." 
The  laugh  was  against  her. 

"  Take  care  and  buy  yourself  a  new  kind  of  spectacles,"  said  Mr. 
Agry,  "or  when  you  come  back  you  will  not  know  whether  you 
have  gained  your  bet  or  not." 

Bessie  promised  to  look  particularly  at  churches  in  all  the  cities 
she  should  visit,  and  it  was  agreed  that  the  first  thing  on  her  return, 
Mr.  Agry  was  to  take  her  to  thoroughly  inspect  Trinity  church, 
and  pronounce  upon  its  architectural  merits,  compared  with  the 
cathedrals  of  the  old  world. 


24  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ON     DECK. 

AND  now  they  could  begin  to  see  what  wisdom  and  what  folly  com- 
bines, in  a  space  not  large,  as  three  hundred  people  from  one 
continent  leave   it  for  another. 

Pretty  Miss  Wither  reclined  in  her  chaise-longue,  and  received  the 
homage  of  her  admirers,  who  came  to  say  good-by,  while  tired  Mrs. 
Wither,  her  mother,  sat  bolt  upright  beside  her,  and  received  very 
little  homage.  One  young  gentleman  had  brought  a  splendid  nosegay, 
of  fifty  jaqueminot  roses.  Another,  more  modest,  had  brought  fifty 
white  lamarques.  Miss  Wither,  gracious  to  both,  had  one  in  one 
hand  and  one  in  another.  Then  blushing  Mr.  Jourdan,  more  demon- 
strative, brought  fifty  moss-roses,  and  Miss  Wither,  still  trying  to  be  equal 
in  her  courtesy,  was  fain  to  lay  the  jaqueminots  in  her  lap,  that  she 
might  have  a  hand  free  for  the  moss-roses.  Youno-  Mr.  Macullar 
sauntered  round  the  group,  quite  indifferent.  But  the  others  all 
looked  as  if  they  would  eat  him,  because  he  was  going  on  the  ship, 
and  would  be  perpetually  in  Miss  Wither's  presence,  while,  alas! 
their  nosega}^  would  certainly  fade.  And  fade  they  did;  but  one, 
she    had   promised   to    keep,  lasted    longer  than,  the    rest. 

On  the  other  side  the  deck  was  more  traged}^  There,  sweet,  pale 
Mrs.  Lampe,  in  her  widow's  cap,  was  kissing,  —  she  could  not  kiss 
often  enough,  — Agatha  and  Laura,  who  were  on  their  way  to  Wiesbaden 
to  see  the  grandfather  and  grandmother  whose  dear  faces  they  knew 
so  well,  but  whom  they   had  never  seen. 

"  There's  the  boy!  there's  the  boy  !  "  cried  Mr.  Macullar.  "  This  way, 
this  way,  quick  !  " 

The  boy  was  bringing  Mr.  Macullar's  hat-box,  which  had  been 
forgotten  at  the   Windsor. 


ON  DECK. 


25 


"  Has  any  one  seen  a  man  or  a  boy  from  the  druggist's  at  the  corner 
of  Twenty-Sixth  street?" 

This  question  was  drawled  out  to  Phil  by  an  old  lady,  who,  at 
the  last,  had  telephoned  for  toilet-powder. 

His  brother  Tom  joined   him,  after  his    rapid  toilet,   and,  dashed  a 


liKU   l-AVoJilTK   BOSK. 


little  by  Phil's  brief   but  solid  exhortations,  which,  to  say  truth,  affected 
the  boy  more  thai]   his  father's  or  mother's  did,  lie  kept  quite  closely 


26 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


glued   to   him    through    the     half     hour   which  remained    to    them    of 
America. 

Of  a  sudden  the  horses  on  the  pier  were  checked  and  drawn  back, 
and  eight  or  ten  policemen,  in  a  column  of  two,  pressed  forward.  Two 
of  these  men  took  possession  of  one  gangway,  two  of  another.  They 
would  let  no  one  pass  either  way.  Even  the  orange-men  and  newsboys, 
impressed  by  the  spectacle,  stopped  their  clamor  and  gathered  around  the 
gangway,  to  look  on.  The  commander  of  the  policemen  spoke  to  the 
mate  of  the  ship,  and    in    a  moment  more,  four  of  them,  with  as  many 

men  wearing  the  ship's 
uniform,  were  hurried 
on  board. 

Phil  and  Tom  were 
highly    excited,    a  n  d 
ran    and    called    their 
•father. 

"  Clearly,"  he  said 
to  them,  "they  hope 
to  find  some  fugitive 
from  justice,  or  some 
man  or  woman  who 
is  trying  to  escape 
to  Europe ;  probably 
some  thief  who  has 
stolen  valuable  prop- 
erty." And  as  the 
boys  looked  on  and 
wondered,  they  saw, 
in  a  minute  more,  that 
no  one  below  was 
permitted  to  come  up 
to  them  ;  that  no  one  on  their  deck  was  permitted  to  go  down ;  no 
person  aft  was  permitted  to  go  forward,  and  no  person  forward, 
to  come  aft.  In  a  minute  more  the  captain  of  the  policemen,  who 
wore    a    newer    cap    and     more     gold    lace    than    the    others,    passed 


OliANGE    WuMAN. 


ON"  DECK  27 

the  guard  at  the  companion  way  and  came  upon  their  deck.  He 
touched  his  hat  civilly,  two  or  three  times,  as  he  passed  gentlemen 
whom  perhaps  he  knew;  he  looked  very  carefully  at  every  one,  not 
coming  near  to  anybody.  Then  he  strode  by  the  boys  upon  the 
bridge,  and  looked  down  on  the  forward  deck.  Alas!  in  a  moment 
all  was  over.  From  the  depths  of  the  ship  up  came  a  gabbling  French 
sailor  in  his  red  shirt  sleeves ;  and  behind  him  followed  the  poor 
prisoner,  with  a  parcel  done  up  in  a  newspaper  containing  his  pos- 
sessions, and  the  policeman   who  had  arrested    him  following  the   two. 

"  That  is  the  man,"  said  the  officer  hastily.  "  I  am  much  obliged 
to  you,   captain." 

Then  he  called  to  his  men  below,  "  Take  him  to  the  station !  Good- 
day,  sir;    good-day,  sir,"  and   things  began    as   before. 

"■Here's  your  seven  oranges   for  thirteen  cents!" 

"Here's  your  Sun  and  Herald!'"  and  the  boys  were  left  to  wonder 
what  had  been  stolen  and  what' the  prisoner's  name  was.  Nobody  knew, 
and,  excepting  themselves,  nobody  cared. 

And  now,  very  soon,  people  who  were  particularly  afraid  of  being 
carried  to  France  without  their  own  consent,  took  leave.  Miss  Lejeune's 
friends  bowed  and  shook  hands ;  there  was  much  kissing  of  the  two 
Jadies  who  had  accompanied  her,  and  a  few  last   words  in    a  low   tone. 

"  You  know,  if  the  lace  is  eight  inches  wide  it  will  do.  I  had  rather 
have  the  pattern  just  right,  than  the  width.  Still,  nine  inches  is  better, 
you  know." 

"I  know,  my  dear,#  exactly  what  you  want;  and  then  I  am  to  give 
it  to  the  Smiths  if  they  are  coming  over  ;  and  if  they  spend  the  winter 
I  shall  easily  find  some   one    else." 

There  were  plenty  of  well-wishers  for  each  of  the  party.  Phil's 
friends  and  Tom's  wen;,  alas  !  ignominiously  caged  in  their  respective 
schools,  where  the  masters,  tyrants  that  they  were,  could  not  be 
made  to  say  that  the  sailing  of  the  St.  Laurent  w;ts  an  occasion  of 
sufficient  national  importance  to  justify  a  holiday.  But  many  of  the  girl 
friends  of  Mary  and  Bessie  were  there.  And  one  by  one  they  took 
Phil  aside,  and  pressed  on  him  little  notes  for  Bessie  which  he  was  to 
keep  secret,  one  till    the   fourth  day,  one   till    the.   fifth,  and   one  till   the 


28 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


sixth  of  the  passage,  when  they  were  to  be  put  on  her  plate  at  breakfast 
as  a  surprise.  And,  lest  Phil  should  forget,  Tom  received  presents  of 
barley  sugar  and  candied  fruit,  in  return  for  which  he  gladly  promised 
to  remind  Phil.  But  Phil  said,  rather  grimly  and  quizzically,  that  he 
thought  he    should  remember  better  than  Tom. 

Thus  there  was  much  chaffing  and  laughing,  but  Miss  Lejeune,  even, 

was  beginning  to  get  tired 
of  it,  and  Mr.  Horner,  who 
was  unusually  nervous  on 
this  occasion,  and  rather  fus- 
sy, was  bored  by  all  these 
admirers.  He  heartily  wished 
they  would  carry  themselves 
off. 

"  There  is  a  bell !  "  he  said 
pointedly,  and  true  enough, 
something  did  sound  some- 
where. Every  one  started, 
and  the  parting-guest-speeders 
gathered  themselves  together 
with  renewed  hand-shaking 
and  kissing,  and  promises  to 
write.  If  the  Homers  had 
written  all  the  letters  they 
then  agreed  to,  they  would 
have  had  no  time,  through 
the  year  of  their  absence,  to  go  anywhere,  or  see   anything. 

The  friends  now  disposed  themselves  in  favorable  positions  on  the 
pier,  for  waving  of  handkerchiefs  and  other  solemnities  of  good-bye. 
More  hardy  people,  who  had  done  the  same  thing  often  before,  waited 
with  audacity,  till  they  should  be  ordered  on  shore  by  the  officers. 
The  sailors  were  at  their  posts.  Few  carriages  came  down  the  pier,  and 
it  was  fairly  still.  For  every  cabin  passenger  had  come  half  an  hour 
early,  and  the  steerage  people  came  by  street  cars,  and  walked  down  the 
pier.     But  a  messenger  would  hurry  up  with  flowers,    or  an  expressman 


AT    TIIK    GUN. 


ON  DECK.  2£ 

with  state-room  stores  which  had  been  delayed.  And  at  last,  with  great 
fuss  and  display,  came  the  gaily  painted  wagon  with  Uncle  Sam's  mails. 
These  were  bundled  on  board  with  much  more  parade,  Phil  thought, 
than  the  occasion  justified.  When  they  were  fairly  hidden  away,  Mr. 
Agry  seemed  to  think  the  time  had  come. 

"  Give  yourself  no  anxiety,  old  fellow,"  he  said  to  Mr.  Horner,  as  he 
gave  his  hand  the  last  shake  ;  "  it  will   be   all  right." 

"  Good-bye,  Mrs.  Horner,"  as  he  turned  to  her.  "  If  your  husband 
writes  a  line  about  business,  put  it  into  the  fire ;  if  he  says  a  word 
about  it,  kill  him." 

"One  kiss,  Miss  Mary,"  to  that  young  lady;  "you  are  looking  better 
already." 

"  Don't  forget  a  }Tellow  feather  for  your  bonnet,  Bessie.  Rue  Tom 
Dick  and  Harry,  Numero  99,  remember."  This  was  some  further  non- 
sense between  them. 

"  My  dear  Miss  Lejeune,  why  did  not  3-011  ask  me  to  come  ?  I 
would  have  exploded  dynamite  under  the  offices,  killed  all  the  clients 
and   customers,   and  joined   you  gladly. 

"Phil,  my  lad,  good-bye;  you  are  the  only  level-headed  person 
in  this  crowd.  Do  not  let  them  work  too  hard,  and  take  Tom 
to  the   Zoo. 

"  Tom,  I  heard  you  were  lost,  but  you  seem  to  be  all  right.  Good- 
bye, all !     Good-bye!" 

"All  ashore!  all  ashore!  "  cried  the  officer  in  good  French-American 
dialect. 

Mr.  Agry  ran  ashore.  The  gangway  rolled  on  shore.  The  bell  rang, 
the  whistle  sounded  and  the  screw  turned  slowly.  Phil  saw,  with  a 
certain  reverence,  the  great  piston  slowly  rise.  In  a  moment  he  and 
Tom  were  on  the  bridge,  ami  the  others  resting  on  the  rail.  Their 
handkerchiefs  were  flying,  tin;  school-girls  on  the  pier  were  waving 
theirs.     They   could   see    Mr.  Agry  lie  his   upon  a   stick. 

"Are  you  sick,  yet?"  cried  Emma  Fortinbras  to  Mary,  as  she  waved 
her  parasol.  Everybody  laughed  at  Emma's  joke,  and  these  were,  as 
it  happened,  the  last  words  which  America  addressed  to  the  voyagers. 

Phil  staid  on  the  bridge  till   the  last  handkerchief  was   out   of  sight  j 


30 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


to  his  surprise  and  disgust,  as  he  put  his  own  away,  he  found  he  was 
wiping  fresh  tears  from  his  cheeks.  How  they  came  there  he  did  not 
know.     He  led  Tom  to  see  the  man  at  the  wheel. 

And  so  in  less  than   half  an   hour,  the  pier  was  deserted. 

A  few  people  to  whom  the  parting  was  a  serious  one,  since  those  who 
now  left  them  were  going  for  a  long  time,  perhaps  never  to  return, 
lingered  at  the  edge  of  the  water  to  follow  the  receding  steamer,  as, 
after  turning  her  huge  bulk  with  difficulty,  she  was  under  way,  and 
moved  off  with  dignity  through  the  heaving  waves.  When  the  long 
line  of  smoke  was  utterly  confounded  with  the  masts  and  confused 
lines  of  distance,  even  these  with  a  sigh  turned  away,  and  slowly  walked 
back  through  the   empty  warehouses  to  busy  Broadway. 


BUSY    BKOADWAY. 


HOW  IT  CAME  ABOUT.  31 


CHAPTER  III. 

HOW   IT   CAME   ABOUT. 

MARY  was  not  very  well  in  the  spring.  They  took  her  out  of 
school  for  a  while,  but  she  missed  the  society  of  the  girls,  and 
went  back  again.  Her  eyes  troubled  her  when  she  was  over  a 
German  dictionary,  but  she  did  not  think  of  it  when  she  was 
reading  the  novels  which  would  get  into  the  house,  although  Mrs. 
Horner  did  not  altogether  approve  of  any  of  them,  and  especially 
not   of  the   fine   print   of  cheap   editions. 

Decidedly  Mary  read  too  much  and  played  too  little.  She  was 
growing  fast,  and  felt  a  little  superior  to  the  sports  of  the  children, 
while  she  found  herself  shy  and  silent  in  the  society  of  older  people. 
She  took  no  interest  in  breakfast,  was  apt  to  be  late  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  after  looking  with  scorn  upon  the  cold  toast  and  warmed- 
over  chop,  to  hastily  drink  some  milk,  snatch  an  apple  for  luncheon 
and  start  off  for  school,  in  a  state  of  mind  described  as  "cross" 
by  the  younger  children.  Her  mother,  having  compassion  on  her, 
did  not  call  such  hard  names,  but  thought  this  would  never  do, 
turned    it    over    and    over   in    her    mind,  and    consulted    her    friends. 

"Why    don't   you  send   her   abroad,"   said  a  chance   visitor. 

"Don't  you  think  it  would  be  well  to  send  her  abroad?"  said 
an  elderly  friend  of   the    family. 

"  Change  of  scene,'1  pronounced  the  family  doctor.  "  Send  her 
abroad." 

In  fact  a  chorus  of  voices  filled  tin;  air,  echoing,  reverberating  the 
advice    "send   her   abroad." 

Now  this  is  a  very  dangerous  influence  to  creep  into  a  family. 
It    soon    pervaded    the    atmosphere,    and    undermined    the   stability    of 


32  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

the  very  foundations  of  the  house.  There  began  to  be  a  feeling 
that  perhaps  Mary  would  go  abroad,  which  unsettled  the  routine 
of  every  dajr.  After  such  an  idea  was  admitted,  anything  might 
happen.  The  very  suggestion  had  given  a  little  extra  importance 
to  the  girl.  She  carried  her  head  a  little  higher,  and  the  color,  too 
rare  of  late,  showed  itself  in  her  cheeks.  Almost  without  discussion 
it  came  to  be  an  established  fact  that  Mary  was  to  go  abroad,  but 
the  how,  when  and  where,  were  still  a  mighty  problem  to  be  solved. 

There  was  in  the  circle  of  the  family  a  certain  person  much 
valued  and  considered  by  them  all,  young  and  old.  She  was  not 
a  relative,  although  called  aunt  Gus  by  the  younger  children,  Augusta 
by  the  parents.  She  was  supposed  to  have  been  an  intimate  friend 
of  mamma's,  ages  ago,  in  that  mystical  period  when  she  was  a  girl. 
Papa  seems  to  have  taken  kindly  to  her  at  the  time  of  his  marriage 
to  mamma,  and  since  then  she  gradually  became  built  into  the 
family.  She  did  not  live  with  them,  but  in  another  part  of  New 
York,  very  independently,  in  rooms  hy  herself.  For  aunt  Gas 
was  not  married,  but  a  spinster ;  one  of  that  valuable  class  whose 
merits  are  growing  more  and  more  to  be  appreciated  as  the  world 
grows  older,  and  they  grow  younger ;  since  it  is  a  singular  fact 
that  whereas  such  persons  used  to  be  called  "  old  maids "  they  are 
now  acknowledged  to  possess  the  advantage  of  perennial  }^outh. 

Miss  Augusta  was  highly  accomplished,  well-informed  and  agreeable. 
She  had  been  abroad  several  times,  and  spoke  several  languages, 
''•well  enough  to  get  along,"  as  she  herself  expressed  it.  The  very 
first  thing  Mrs.  Horner  thought  of  about  Mary's  going,  she  confessed 
to   her    husband,   would    be    to    have    Augusta    take    her. 

But  would  Augusta  go  again  and  leave  her  cosy  little  apartment, 
all  her  charities  and  philanthropies,  her  book-clubs  and  cook-clubs, 
her  Decorative  and  Useful  Arts,  her  tiles  and  her  embroideries? 
For    Miss    Lejeune    dabbled    a   little  in    everything. 

Miss  Augusta  would  go.  She  would  sell  her  shares  in  the  Arizona- 
Smelting  and  Mining  Company,  and  go  with  that.  It  was  now  five 
years  since  she  had  tasted  Europe,  and  she  would  like  to  try  it 
ao-ain,  and  besides  she    felt  it   a   duty    to   relieve   poor   dear  Jeannj*" 


MAi:v    HORNEB 


HOW  IT  CAME  ABOUT.  35 

of  her  worry  about  Mary.  Jeannie  was  Mrs.  Horner.  Persuade 
any  single  woman  that  a  pleasure  is  a  duty,  and  she  is  secured 
for   it. 

And  now  about  the  heads  of  the  Homers,  came  tumbling  avalanches 
of  advice,  suggestion  and  warning.  Guide-books  and  maps  poured 
in,  as  it  were,  at  the  doors  and  windows.  Experienced  travellers 
talked  to  them  by  the  hour  of  what  Mary  must  and  must  not  do, 
as  if  the  future  of  the  American  nation  depended  upon  the  arrange- 
ment of  her  plan  of  travel.  Long  before  the}r  had  really  begun 
to  think  what  she  should  do,  or  where  she  should  go,  or  how  long 
she  should  stay,  all  these  things  had  been  discussed  and  decided 
by  friends  and  relatives,  far  and  near,  who  thus  had  themselves  all 
the    pleasure,    and    none    of   the    anxieties,    of   planning    the    trip. 

Mr.  Horner  contemplated  these  ominous  symptoms  rather  gloomily, 
although  he  had  assented  at  first  to  the  plan.  He  was  very  fond 
of  Mary,  and  liked  to  have  her  about.  He  had  never  been  abroad, 
and  had  an  idea,  perhaps  exaggerated,  of  the  size,  and  especially  of 
the  depth,  of  the  Atlantic  ocean.  On  general  principles,  he  disap- 
proved of  American  girls  travelling,  and  he  professed  a  vague  fear 
that  Mary  might  be  snapped  up  by  some  foreigner,  —  by  which  he 
meant   matrimonially. 

But  who  can  resist  the  attraction  of  travel,  when  it  once  is  in 
the  air !  Miss  Lejeune  came  round  in  the  evenings,  and  different 
routes  were  discussed.  Little  time-tables  of  steamers  were  lying 
about,  and  the  conversation  turned  frequently  on  the  respective 
merits  of  the  different  "lines.  Mr.  Horner  was  all  for  a  Cunarder. 
He  had  always  heard  they  were  so  sate,  and  a  number  of  wise  saws 
of  the  same  description,  as  that  Britannia  rules  the  seas;  that  the  English 
steamers  are  the  best  in  the  world;  that  the  captains  sit  up  all  night 
and  change  the  watch  themselves,  and  that  speed  is  not  so  impor- 
tant as  a  steady  keel.  Ho  was  even  a  little  disposed  to  have  them 
go  to  Boston  and  sail  from  there:  since  the  Boston  Cunard  steamers, 
being  smaller  and  dirtier  than  the  New  York  ones,  would  be  in 
proportion    safer. 

Miss    Augusta    Lejeune,    on    the    other   hand,  was   in    favor  of  the 


36  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

White  Star  line.  She  had  been  put  off  with  Cunarders, — yes,  once 
even  with  a  Boston  Cunarder,  — all  her  life,  on  account  of  the  safety, 
and  had  always  longed  for  a  White  Star.  The  reputation  of  this 
line  is  more  established  every  year,  and  really  it  was  ridiculous  in 
her  estimation,  to  doubt  its  safety,  and  to  allow  such  doubts  to 
outweigh  the  great  comfort  and  enjoyment  of  the  clean,  big  state- 
rooms,  and  well-ordered  management. 

Thus  they  talked  ;  but  as  it  happened,  Miss  Augusta  even  now 
failed  to  go  by  her  favorite  White  Star  line.  There  seemed  to  be 
no  real  reason  for  going  first  to  England,  as  one  of  their  settled 
wishes  was  to  get  soon, to  Paris.  The  Homers  liked  to  please  them- 
selves with  the  idea  that  so  much  outlay  and  expense  was  for  the 
benefit  of  Mary's  languages,  as  well  as  of  her  health ;  it  appeared, 
in  one  sense,  to  be  a  waste  of  material  to  be  travelling  in  England, 
where  no  dictionary  is  needed.  Miss  Lejeune  had  spent  a  good  deal 
of  time  in  Paris,  and  felt  more  at  home  there  than  in  London,  and 
then  the  Stuyvesants  were  in  Paris,  old  friends,  who  would  be 
delighted  to  have  Mary  come  straight  to  them.  And  so  they  one 
day  decided  to  "  cut  the  little  island  entirely  for  the  present,"  as 
Miss  Lejeune  expressed  it,  and  to  take  a  state-room  in  the  French 
steamer   St.  Laurent. 

In  this  way  they  would  avoid  crossing  the  channel,  and  if  they 
chose  to  stop  at  Brest,  they  would  avoid  the  channel  altogether. 
This  was  Mr.  Horner's  proposal,  whose  feeling  was  that  every  drop 
of  the  ocean  was  one  drop  in  the  bucket  too  much;  Miss  Augusta 
held  her  peace,  knowing  pretty  well  that  when  they  were  fairly  on 
the  voyage,  twenty-four  hours  more  or  less  would  not  make  much 
difference,  and  that  Havre  would  prove  to  be,  most  likely,  their  des- 
tination. Miss  Augusta  hated  so  much  discussion,  though  she  bore 
it  pretty  well.  "If  only  once  we  get  off,"  she  thought  a  dozen 
times  a  day,    "  we   can   settle   everything  as  we  please." 

One  thing  being  established,  their  steamer,  plans  began  to 
take  a  definite  aspect ;  and  the  delightful  task  of  adopting  and 
rejecting  became  the  sole  occupation  of  the  little  circle.  Pater 
familias    was    getting    interested.       He    talked     Europe    with    people 


HOW  IT  CAME  ABOUT. 


89 


BACIIAIiACH. 


down  town  wlio  convinced  him,  by  turns,  of  the  absolute  importance 
of  a  great  many  things.  One  day  he  came  home  full  of  the  Fair 
at  Nidji  Novgorod,  which  they  must  not  miss  whatever  they  did; 
viother  time  lie  brought   the  prospectus  of  a    pension  in  Bacharach. 


40 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


a  small   town  in  the   western   part  of  Bavaria,  where   they  could  talk 
the    language,   and    learn    more    than    by    any    amount    of  travelling. 

On  one  particular  clay  Mr.  Horner  came  home  with  an  air  of 
something  unusual  about  him.  He  got  through  dinner  talking  less 
than  ordinary,  and  when  towards  the  end,  the  children  slipped  of! 
as  they  usually  did,  especially  if  the  pudding  lacked  attraction,  even 
Mary  on  this  occasion,  though  she  of  late  stayed  to  talk  with  the 
elders,    going    away    to    prepare    for    a    concert,— 

"My  dear,  — "said  the  father  of  the  family,  and   then  paused. 

-  Well,  what  is  it,  Philip  ?  »  said  Mrs.  Horner.  «  I  see  that  something 
is  on  your  mind." 

"Well,  Jeannie,"  he  continued,  then  paused  again;  but  added 
with    a   jerk,    "Brown    thinks    we    had    better   all    go!" 

"All    go!"    repeated    Mrs.    Horner    in   amazement. 

There  Avas  no  question  in  her  mind  about  the  words,  though  they 
might  seem  to  require  amplification.  "Go"  meant  "go  abroad" 
and  "all"  meant  the  Homers,  en  masse.  The  subject  had  so  filled 
their    minds  of  late    that   there    was    no    room    for    any    other. 

Mrs.   Horner  gasped  a  little,   and  then   said  calmly,  '•  Why   not  !  " 


WHAT  CAME  ABOUT. 


41 


CHAPTER   IV. 


WHAT     CAME    ABOUT. 

THUS  it  was  settled  that  the  whole  family  should  go  abroad,  and 
this   is   wiry  they   were    all   to    be    found   on    the    deck  of    the 
steamer  St.  Laurent  in   the    first   chapter. 

The   plan  once    admitted,    excellent  reasons    were    found    to     cover 

each  member.  Mr.  Horner 
needed  a  change.  Stocks 
had  been  rising  and  travel- 
ling is  always  a  safe  in- 
vestment. Its  dividends 
are  good  health  and  good 
spirits,  funds  of  informa- 
tion and  retrospect,  with- 
out mentioning  photo- 
graphs and  carved  work, 
or  tlie  clothes  from  Paris 
which  are  brought  back 
in  the  trunk's  of  the  re- 
turning tourists. 

Bessie  was  delighted. 
In  the  original  plan,  no- 
body had  much  thought 
about  her  interests.  She 
was  one  of  the  plump. 
easy-going  children,  whom 
no  one  thinks  much  about,  because  they  have  a  knack  of  looking  after 
themselves.     She  was    a  year  younger  than  Mary,  perfectly  well,  per- 


BEST    DOLL 


<••.!  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

fectly  good-natured,  quiet  in  her  movements,  and  prone  to  accept  the 
existing  order  of  things.  So  she  had  not  grumbled  at  "  all  the  fuss,'' 
as  she  might  have  called  it,  about  Mary's  health  and  Mary's  trip ;  but 
now  it  was  decided  that  all  were  to  go,  her  round  face  beamed  like 
a  full  moon;  she  immediately  set  about  packing  a  small  box  with 
her  favorite  dolls, —  for  she  was  one  of  the  girls  who  kept  up  her  affec- 
tion for  dolls,  even  to  the  age  of  thirteen,  and  promised  herself  that 
pleasure   until  she  should  be  married. 

The  oldest  son  of  the  family  was  named  Philip,  but  as  this  was 
his  father's  name,  lie  had  come  to  be  called  Jack,  very  generally,  no 
one  knew  why,  exactly.  He  at  once  recognized  the  advantages  of  a 
long  holiday,  and  total  freedom  from  school.  More  than  any  of  the 
rest,  he  dwelt  on  the  pleasures  of  the  voyage,  and  looked  forward 
with  impatience  to  the  trip  on  the  steamer.  His  mother  had  to  caution 
him,  in  private,  not  to  talk  too  much  about  this  part  of  it  before  his 
father,  who  detested  the  sea  and  boats  of  every  description,  who  visibly 
flinched  whenever  he  thought  of  ten  days  on  the  steamer,  and  wished 
they  could  wait  till  balloons,  or  a  tunnel,  were  invented  for  crossing 
the  Atlantic. 

Master  Tommy  rejoiced  in  the  general  excitement,  and  that  some- 
thing was  going  to  happen.  Mary  told  him  he  would  have  to  learn 
French,  or  he  might  starve  if  he  got  left  by  himself  anywhere  by  acci- 
dent ;  he  therefore  applied  himself  to  acquiring  the  French  names  for 
things  to  eat,  but  his  slight  lisp,  and  heedless  ear,  prevented  any  very 
rapid  progress   in   the  language. 

It  was  feared  that  Miss  Augusta  Lejeune  might  not  altogether  like 
the   change  of  plan  ;    but  she  did. 

"  To  tell  the  truth,  Jean,  it  is  a  great  relief,"  she  said  to  her  friend, 
as  soon  as  they  had  a  chance  to  talk  it  over. 

"  After  the  first  glow  of  assenting  to  go  with  Mary,  I  have  been 
torn  with  anxiety  !  " 

"You  worry!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Horner,  "what  nonsense;  as  if 
single   women  ever  had  any  real  worry." 

"I  mean  on  account  of  the  responsibility,"  continued  Miss  Lejeune, 
14  if  Mary  had  been  homesick,  or  ill,  or  anything.     Now,  you  can  take 


WHAT  CAME  ABOUT.  43 

care  of  her,  ana  uesiaea  she  will  not  be  ;   and  if  airy  admirers  make  up 
to  her,  }^ou   can  take   care  of  them." 

Mrs.  Horner  laughed  :  "  No,  1  think  I  shall  leave  that  department 
to  3rou.     You  will  know  best  how  to  handle  them." 

"Ah,  my  dear,"  replied  Augusta,  "that  is  what  I  want  to  say  now. 
As  you  are  all  going,  I  think  I  may  as  well  stay  at  home.  I  was  the 
what-do-}'Oii-call-it,  round  which  we  built  the  arch,  but  now  it  is  done, 
you  may  as  well  take  me   out." 

She  said  this  lightly  and  pleasantly,  but  before  her  sentence  was  half 
through,  Mrs.  Horner  began  to   interrupt   her,  hastening  to  say  : 

"  What  nonsense,  Augusta,  we  were  afraid  you  might  begin  to  talk 
like  that ;  but  we  shall  not  hear  of  it.  Philip  sa\Ts  he  should  not 
think  of  going  without  you,  and  I'm  sure  I  shouldn't.  We  have  neither 
of  us  been  abroad,  and  we  depend  upon  you  entirely,  and  as  for  the 
children  —  " 

More  was  said  of  this  sort,  and  it  may  be  that  Miss  Lejeuue  only  felt 
the  need  of  being  urged  a  little  ;  for  she  soon  gave  in,  only  ending 
the  subject  by  saying  as  she  laughed,  "Very  well,  then,  I  go  in  the 
capacity  of  female    courier   to  the   party." 

After  this  all  was  bustle  and  joy  for  the  children,  and  bustle  and 
misery  for  the  parents.  The  servants  all  gave  warning  at  once,  though 
the  greatest  pains  had  been  taken  to  shut  the  door  whenever  the  sub- 
ject was  to  be  discussed ;  but  Tommy  admitted  telling  his  nurse  that 
he  was  going  to  Africa,  he  believed,  one  Saturday  night  when  she  was 
emptying   his  pockets. 

The  house,  which  was  advertised  to  be  let,  was  overrun  by  applicants 
coming  to  look  at  it,  whose  only  real  object  seemed  to  be  finding  out 
what  was  kept  in  the  closets.  When  it  was  let,  which  luckily  happened 
at  once,  it  had  to  be  put  all  in  apple-pie  order,  and  eveiy  housekeeper 
knows  what  that  means.     Mrs.  Horner  was  quite  worn  out. 

Bui  the  worst  of  all  was  the  advice  of  friends,  which  had  indeed 
begun  very  early  in  the  matter,  and  the  quantity  of  comforts  for  the 
voyage  which  poured  in  upon  this  travelling  family.  Mary  received 
four  brush-bags,  three  shoe-hags,  seven  catch-alls,  and  nine  omnium- 
Tatherums,  all  to  be  nailed  on   the  walls  of  her  state-room.     The  other 


44 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


members  of  the  family  got  almost  as  many,  and  while  they  were  trying 
to  persuade  themselves  that  they  would  all  be  useful,  Miss  Lejeune 
roundly  ordered  that  every  one   must  be  left  at  home,  as  superfluous 

on  the  voyage,  and  a  perfect 
nuisance  after  you  got  aivv- 
where. 

Some  of  the  things  people 
gave  them  however  were  good. 
An  india-rubber  bottle  with 
;i  screw-top,  to  hold  hot  water 
for  the  feet,  Miss  Augusta 
said  one  day  might  go,  "  al- 
though," she  added  " I  never 
need  any  of  these  tilings,  but 
3'ou  ma}r  some  of  you  be  sick." 
Mr.  Horner  left  the  room, 
as  he  always  did  when  the 
vo}*age  was  mentioned.  The 
others  laughed,  and  Mary  said, 
"  poor  papa  !  I  feel  as  if  I  were 
dragging  him  to  the  stake." 

"  Never  }tou    mind,"  cried 
Miss  Lejeune,  "  he    will    like 
the  stake  well    enough  when    he   gets    to    it;     I    dare  say    it  will    be 
still  harder    to  bring  him  home  again  !  " 

The  fact  is  that  for  the  Atlantic  voyage,  which  after  all  is  but 
n,  matter  of  ten  or  eleven  days,  it  is  unwise  to  encumber  the  small  state- 
rooms with  superfluous  things.  Take  of  course  everything  you 
want,  but  why  accompany  your  toilet  on  these  days  with  machinery 
which  stands  untouched  on  your  dressing-table,  year  in  and  year 
out  ?  If  a  sea-passenger  is  sick,  the  very  sight  of  these  decorations 
of  the  cabin  is  odious  to  him,  and  it  is  a  burden  to  have  to  move 
them  about  when  they  are  in  the  way.  as  they  always  are,  of  his  totter- 
ing steps.  If  by  good  luck  he  is  well  and  jolly,  the  last  thing  he  desires 
is  to  stay  one  minute  lnnger   tfian  necessarv   in    his  close  and   stuffv 


POOE  MAMMA. 


WHAT  CAME  ABOUT.  45 

state-room.  The  deck  is  the  goal  he  longs  for  in  the  morning  when  he 
hears  the  water  splashing  and  slopping  about  over  his  head,  as  the 
sailors  are  scrubbing  it  down.  A  brief,  though  thorough  toilette,  is  all 
he  can  stay  for,  in  his  haste  to  reach  {the  bracing  breeze  above,  for  a 
brisk   walk  of  several  turns  up  and   down   before  breakfast. 

Thus  discoursed  Miss  Augusta  Lejeune,  the  wary  old  voyager  ;  but 
she  allowed  the  excellence  of  a  few  things,  sea-chairs  on  the  deck,  lots 
of  wraps  and  rugs,  a  good  novel  or  two,  and  above  all  a  bottle  of 
smelling  salts,  the  kind   called  kk  Preston  "  being   her  favorite. 

"  My  dear,"  she  said  to  any  "  dear  "  in  general  who  might  chance  to 
be  on  hand,  "you  can  have  no  conception  of  the  immense  number  of 
bad  smells  that  keep  coming.  There  are  periods  when  every  smell 
seems  to  be  a  bad  one,  and  then,  if  yon  can  just  put  your  salts  to 
your  nose  for  a  moment  you  tide  over  the  sensation,  and  very  likely 
you  aie  all  Aglit  again."' 

Mr.  Horner  was  so  much  impressed  with  this  that  he  ordered  a 
gross  of  smelling-salts  of  the  kind  she  described,  and  thus  each  member 
of  the  family  was  supplied.  Miss  Augusta  herself  had  an  imposing 
bottle  with  a  gold  top,  which  some  one  laid  given  her  for  her  first 
voyage  ;  but  she  declared  that  the  common  ones  were  much  better,  as 
indeed  they  were. 

A  flower-pot,  containing  a  tall  and  branching  plant,  a  sure  preventive 
of  sea-sickness,  the  gift  of  an  anxious  admirer  of  Mrs.  Horner,  was  left 
at  home.  A  miniature  edition  of  Shakespeare  in  thirty-seven  volumes, 
was  left  out  of  the  state-room  valise,  and  it  is  feared  never  crossed  the 
water.  Bessie  petitioned  hard  for  her  favorite  game  of  Authors, 
consisting  of   fifty    cards,    and   Miss    Lejeune  reluctantly  yielded    this 

point. 

"But  you  will  hate  them,"  she  groaned,  "  when  the  ship  is  rolling 
some  day,  and  every  one  of  the  fifty  cards  comes  sliding  down  from 
the  shelf  into  a  different  place  under  the  sofa."  And  this  prediction 
was  verified,  on  the  third  day  out. 

On  the  whole,  the  packing  and  preparations  went  on  very  well.  As 
soon  as  the  decision  was  made  for  a  general  departure,  an  early  time 
was  fixed  for  sailing.     Luckily  the  French  steamers  were  running  not 


46 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


very  full  at  that  time  and  excellent  state-rooms  were  secured  for  Jill  the 
party  in  the  St.  Laurent,  sailing  October  first. 

It  was  not  without  much  discussion,  and  inspection  of  different  lines, 
that  Mr.  Horner  made  the  difficult  decision  in  favor  of  this  one.     Where 


AN   EXCURSION   STEAMER. 


all  are  so  good,  chance  is  perhaps  the  best  guide  in  selecting.     Miss 
Lejeune  sighed  as   she  thought   of  her  beloved  White    Stars,  but  her 


WHAT  CAME  ABOUT.  *7 

familiarity  with  the  French  steamers,  in  one  of  which  she  "had  crossed '" 
before,  consoled  her. 

One  of  the  steamers  was  at  the  wharf  at  the  time  they  were  making 
up  their  minds,  and  Jack  and  Tommy  went  with  their  father  to  inspect 
it,  and  see  what  kind  of  accommodations  there  were  for  the  passen- 
gers. It  was  a  beautiful  day,  the  harbor  was  full  of  ferry-boats  and 
excursion  steamers,  the  sea  rough,  but  sparkling  and  bright,  tempting 
them  to  cross  the  Atlantic  at  once.  The  boys  gazed  with  awe  at  the 
immense  size  of  the  hull,  and  with  wonder  at  the  extreme  smallness  of 
the  cabins ;  the  two  were  to  share  one  state-room,  and  they  were  a  good 
deal  impressed  with  the  limited  space  to  put  all  their  things.  Jack,  who 
had  a  reflective  turn,  went  home,  and  considerably  reduced  the  pile 
of  indispensables  he  had  set  aside  to  be  packed  for  him.  Tornm}-, 
who  never  reflected  at  all,  described  joyfully  the  ladder  by  which  he 
was  to   ascend  to  his  upper  berth. 

The  day  came.  It  was  fine.  The  tide  served  to  sail  at  noon,  so  they 
had  all  the  morning  befoi'e  them.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Horner,  the  girls  and 
Tommy,  were  packed  into  the  carriage,  while  Jack  mounted  with  the 
driver.  Tins  was  because  Mrs.  Horner,  turning  nervous  at  the  last, 
could  not  bear  to  be  separated  from  her  family.  For  the  same  rea- 
son, the  luggage,  twelve  large  trunks,  and  the  three  portmanteaus  for 
the  voyage,  followed  close  on  behind  in  an  express  wagon.  Miss  Lejeune 
was  to  meet  them  at  the  boat  (a  horrible  arrangement,  Mrs.  Horner 
thought),  but  it  could  not  well  be  otherwise,  as  she  was  receiving  a 
parting  breakfast  from  a  few  of  her  intimate  friends.  However  she  was 
sure  to  be  there  in   time. 

So  they  drove  off,  the  neighbors  looking  out  of  windows,  for  it 
was  quite  a  procession,  the  servants  waving  aprons  and  smiling,  the 
cook  shedding  a  few  natural  tears.  Ann,  the  nice  woman  who  had 
been  with  them  for  years,  came  out  to  the  carriage  with  an  armful  of 
wraps,  tucked  the  mamma  into  her  place,  poked  handbags  under  the 
seats,  scolded  the  girls  a  little,  gave  a  final  tug  to  Tommy's  coat,  and 
shut  the  door  with  a  bang.  The  impatient  horses  departed  at  the 
sound. 

They  started  off  down  the  street,  the  family  looked  back  waving  and 


I* 


M1LY  FLIGHT. 


nodding.  Arm  seemed  to  be  making  frantic  signs  to  the  driver.  Some- 
thing must  be  forgotten.  With  infinite  pains  he  was  induced  to  stop; 
6he  screamed  out  to  him  : 

"Be  sure  you   don't   miss   the    boat." 

That  was  all. 

And  he   did  not. 


AKiUUliUlt  AT   WINDOW. 


THE  VOYAGE.  49 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE   VOYAGE. 

THEY  were  off.  The  pier  looked  in  the  distance  like  the 
smallest  speck,  and  waving  handkerchiefs  were  indiscriminate 
among  masts  and  smoke.  Even  the  fondest  love  could  descry  no 
further  sign  of  the  vanishing  friends,  and  the  passengers  now  turned 
to  see  what  could  be  made  of  their  present  surroundings  for  conso- 
lation or  amusement. 

There  is  a  sad  element  in  the  departure  of  a  steamer,  even  when 
you  are  accompanied  by  all  your  household  gods.  Mrs.  Horner  sat 
with  her  handkerchief  near  her  eyes.  The  girls  stood  quietly  by  her 
side.  Tommy  and  Jack  were  with  their  father  at  the  stern  of  the 
ship,  the  former  leaning  over  the  side  to  watch  the  churning  of  the 
screw  upon  the  foamy  water. 

Miss  Lejeune  was  already  scanning  the  deck,  to  find  out,  if  possible, 
the  nature  of  their  fellow  passengers,  and  the  chance  of  agreeable 
companions,  but  not  much  was  to  be  learned  as  yet,  for  only  a  few 
were  scattered  about  upon  the  seats.  Almost  every  one  was  below, 
"shaking  down"  into  the  cabins;  and,  to  create  a  diversion,  she  pro- 
posed that  they  should  follow  this  example.  Hand-bags,  shawl-straps, 
bouquets,  were  now  assembled,  and  an  inspection  was  made  of  the 
premises.  Nothing  could  be  more  convenient  than  the  arrangement 
of  their  state-rooms,  the  girls  close  to  their  mother,  the  boys  not  far 
off,  Miss  Lejeune   near  at  hand. 

On  the  French  steamers,  the  salle  a  manger  stretches  across  the  stern 
of  the  ship,  with  windows  all  round,  just  under  the  upper  deck.  This 
brings  all  the  state-rooms  down  below,  opening  on  long  narrow  passages 
running   the    whole    length  of   the  vessel.     There   are    no  deck   state- 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


?ooms,  but  those  below  are  large    and    comfortable,  each  with  a  sofa 
which  may  be  a  third  berth. 

Mrs.  Horner  privately  thought  them  very  small,  and  could  not 
imagine  why  the  term  "large"  had  been  used  in  their  description. 
She  wondered  how  she  could  ever  get  through  ten  days  in  that  "  mite 
of  a  place,"  but  decided  she  should  pass  most  of  the  time  on  deck. 
Alas !  that  day  was  not  over  before    she  was  glad  to   come    back  to 

her  cabin,  and  it  was  some  da}*s  before 
she  made  a  regular  appearance  in  the 
dining-room. 

But  it  is  not  worth  while  to  dwell 
on  the  early  sufferings  of  the  Horner 
family  during  the 
voyage.  Suffice  it 
to  say  that  after 
three  days  they 
.  ^ -. .  were    all    acclima- 

ted, and  ready  to 
^_~\  enjoy  the   delight- 

ful life  on  the 
ocean  wo. yes.  Mis? 
Augusta  is  neve* 
sick ;  her  example, 
and  the  salt  watei 
plunge  bath  which 
it  is  always  possi- 
ble to  have  on  the 
French  steamers, 
kept  the  two  girls 
well  up  to  the 
mark.  Mary,  the 
delicate,  was  the 
one  who  minded  least  the  motion.  Bessie  —  but  we  are  to  say  noth- 
ing of  that.  As  for  Mr.  Horner,  it  was  wonderful  how  he  enjoyed  it. 
All  his   dread  of  the  mighty  Atlantic  vanished.     He  was  the  first  on 


STERN   OF   STEAM-SHIP. 


THE  VOYAGE.  53 

deck  in  the  morning,  the  gayest  of  the  party  at  breakfast,  and  al- 
ways all  day  in  the  best  of  spirits.  Freedom  from  routine  and  the 
cares  of  business  was,  most  unexpectedly,  so  great  a  relief  to  his 
mind,  that  his  wife  began  to  think  the  great  merit  of  the  trip  was 
going  to    be  this   renewal  of  his  youth   and  spirits. 

One  morning,  about  four  days  out,  our  party  assembled  for  the  first 
time  in  a  bevy  on  deck,  in  the  place  where  it  afterwards  became  their 
custom  to  establish  themselves.  It  was  the  first  appearance  of  Mrs. 
Horner.  She  was  carefully  installed  in  her  sea-chair,  and  tucked  in 
with  wraps.  Now  was  the  time  to  put  to  use  all  the  travelling  appli- 
ances given  her  by  anxious  friends.  The  india-rubber  hot  water  bottle 
vas  at  her  feet ;  a  patent  air-cushion  at  her  back,  a  knit  head-rest 
behind  her,  a  crochet  affghan  on  her  knees,  an  embroidered  shawl  upon 
her  shoulders ;  a  marvellous  sea-hood  protected  her  ears,  an  uncut 
French  novel  was  on  her  lap,  and  the  celebrated  Preston  salts  in 
her  hand. 

"Now,  mamma,"  said  Mary,  "3-011  look  like  the  typical  traveller, 
"and  we  shall  leave   yoc  tor    our  usual  exercise  on  deck." 

Mary  already  had  a  soft  color  in  her  cheeks  and  looked  gay  and 
anir^ted.  Bessie  was  waiting  for  her  below,  outside  the  saloon 
winders,  and  the  tr^o  started  off,  to  make  the  whole  length  of  the 
deck  to  the  bows  •,  no  slight  excursion,  and  excellent  exercise  when 
repeated  half-a-dozen  times  or  more. 

"  That  old  lady  has  come  out  of  her  state-room,  and  is  sitting  in 
there,"  said  Bessie.  "  I  was  going  in  to  write  some  more  on  my  letter, 
but  she  looks  so  pale    and  miserable,  I  guess   I  will  leave  her  alone." 

"Oh  yes,  come  along  and  walk,"  said  Mary.  "You  will  have 
plenty  of  time   for    your   letter." 

Mr.  Horner  settled  himself  near  his  wife  and  Miss  Lejeune,  who 
was  sitting  upright  without  any  wraps  or  veils,  closely  buttoned  into 
a  thick  tightly  fitting  jacket,  with  her  book  at  her  side  and  her 
knitting  in  her  hand.  A  strip  of  plain  knitting,  about  four  inches 
wide  was  the  inevitable  companion  of  Miss  Lejeune.  Yards  upon 
yards  fell  from  her  rapid  needles.  No  one  knew  what  became  of  the 
stripes.     She    always  said  they  were    for  an    affghan,  but  the  affghau 


54 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


was  never  seen.     She  now  began,  in   a  low  voice,  to    point   out   some 
of  their  fellow  passengers,  and  to  describe  them,  as  far  as  she  could, 


at   present.     Tommy    came   and    sat  down    at   his   mother's  feet,    and 
Phil  lingered  about   to  join  in   the   talk. 

"Those  people  are   Germans,"  said  Miss  Augusta ;  "odd they  should 


THE  VOYAGE. 


55 


be  on  a  French  steamer.     I  think   they  are  Jews.     See  the  diamonds! 
That  fat    one  is    the  mother  of  the  little   ones,  I  think  —  their  nose? 
are    so   exactly   alike,  all   of    them  —  but    I   guess    the    daughters   an 
by    another  marriage,  for    they  don't  treat   the    mother    very  well/ 


60 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

'  He  is  named   Mr.  Levi.     I  heard 


"  There's  the  father,"  said  Jack, 
the  steward  call  him  so." 

The  captain  was  walking  up  and  down  upon  the  bridge,  a  stout 
man,  with  a  gold  band  round   his  cap. 

"He    is  real   cross,"    said  Tommy.     "I  fell   against   his   legs   once, 
and  asked  his  pardon,  and  he  did  not  say  it  was  no  consequence." 
"Did  you  try  him   in   French,  Tom?"   asked  his  mother. 
"  See,"  said    Jack,  "  I  think  that  is  a  very  nice  family  sitting   over 
on  the   other  side.     They  are    near  us  at  table,   and   the}'  seem  very 
jolly,   now  they  are  over  being  sick." 

It  was  all  very  bright  and  pleasant  on  deck.  The  sun  was  shining, 
a  soft  wind  was  blowing,  but  it  was  not  too  cold  with  wraps.  The 
gentle  thumping  of  the  screw  came  in  like  an  undertone  suggesting 
steady  progress,  with  the  wash  of  the  water  along  the  sides  of  the 
ship.  The  sea  was  covered  with  bobbing  little  waves,  and  all  around, 
in  every  direction,  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  the  great  round  world 
of  water,  and    the  bright  glowing  sky  shutting  down  over  it.     Sails 

in  the  distance,  and 
as  yet  birds  occasion- 
ally, were  the  only 
objects  to  be  seen, 
except  the  plunging 
porpoises  that  some- 
times followed  their 
course,  humping  their 
curved  backs  out  of 
the  water,  like  a 
school  of  submarine 
boys  turning  somer- 
saults. 

On  the  deck  of  the 
St.  Laurent  all  was  tranquil.  Little  groups  of  passengers  chatted 
together,  enjoying  the  scene,  counting  the  bells,  which  strike  every 
half-hour,  and  either  dreading  or  longing  the  approach  of  luncheon 
time. 


maky's  first  sketch. 


THE  VOYAGE.  57 

Mary  even  attempted,  in  her  sketch-book,  a  few  studies  of  attitudes 
in  charcoal,  without  much  success. 

"  That  reminds  me,"  said  Miss  Lejeune,  "  that  I  have  made  an 
acquaintance  at  dinner,  and  I  want  to  show  him  to  you.  We  have 
had  our  end  of  the  table  quite  to  ourselves  once  or  twice,  and  had 
a  good  deal  of  talk.  He  is  Mr.  Hervey  ;  don't  you  remember  the 
Herveys  we  met   at  Mount    Desert   once?     They  are    Boston   people, 


MT.    DKSERT. 


I  seem  to  remember,  and  I  should  think  so  by  his  accent;  in  fact  I 
believe  they  have  the  very  best  Boston  grandmothers.  Anyhow  he  is 
agreeable,  and  is  apparently  alone,  but  perhaps  all  his  party  are  below." 
Pretty  soon  Mr.  Hervey  came  along,  and  was  introduced  all  round. 
He  proved  to  be  the  very  man  with  whom   Mr.  Horner  had   smoked 


58 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


the  first  cigar  he  ventured  upon.  They  were  soon  laughing  and 
talking  of  the  miseries  and  comforts  of  the  voyage,  and  before  it  was 
clearly  understood  how  things  got  so  far,  Tommy  was  perched  upon 
the  new  gentleman's  knee.  For  Tommy,  though  he  was  getting  a 
big  boy,  retained    some   of   the    habits   of  a  baby. 

Mr.  Hervey  proved  a  valuable  addition  to  their  party.  He  was 
alone,  and  confessed  he  liked  travelling  alone,  and  picking  up 
his  companions  as  he  went  along.  Mr.  Horner  liked  him.  They 
shared  those  mysterious  rites  of  smoking  and  shaving  and  discussing 
stocks  which  occupy  men  when  they  are  left  to  themselves.  Mrs. 
Horner   liked   him   because  he    was    nice    with   the    children,    and  for 


BRUNO'S   ESCAPE. 


the  same  reason  he  was  liked  by  the  children  themselves.  Mary, 
the  reserved  and  dreamy,  and  the  easy-going  Bessie,  alike  took  him 
into    favor.     Philip    thought   he    was    "splendid,"    and    Tommy    must 


THE  VOYAGE.  59 

have  bored  him  dreadfully,  for  there  was  no  moment  when  he  was 
not  close  at  his  heels.  But  he  never  betrayed  any  such  feeling, 
though  he  had  a  skilful  way  of  disengaging  himself  when  he  chose, 
by  attracting  the  boy's  attention  to  something  far  off  on  the  ship. 
Very  early  in  their  acquaintance,  he  introduced  the  young  people 
to  the  live-stock  in  the  forward  part  of  the  steamer.  There  were 
cocks  and  hens,  turkeys,  lambs,  and  an  immense  great  dog  not  allowed 
to  move  about,  but  shut  up  in  the  charge  of  the  butcher.  It  is  quite 
surprising  how  often  he  reminded  Tom  of  these  animals,  and  fostered 
the  interest  which  Tom  readily  got  in  their  welfare.  Perhaps  the 
butcher  did  not  enjoy  it  as  well  as  the  others  did  at  their  end  of 
the  ship.  There  was  some  little  stir  one  day  when  our  young  friend 
let  the  dog  loose,  in  the  interests  of  humanity,  and  as  a  member  of 
the  S.  P.  C.  A.,  so  that  he  rushed  up  on  deck  and  came  suddenly 
in  contact  with  the  legs  of  a  second  class  passenger,  who  was  taking 
his  first  walk  after  sickness,  and  rather  unsteady.  It  cook  several 
sailors,  and  a  good  man}'  minutes,  to  secure  Master  Bruno,  and  put 
him  back  in  his  place.  Tom  prudently  retreated  from  the  scene,  and 
never  was  actually  known,  though  suspected,  to  be  the  author  of 
the   mischief. 

It  is  well  to  be  able  to  record  that  none  of  the  party  were  very 
seriously  affected  by  sea-sickness,  and  that  after  some  days  every 
one  was  in  good  condition  to  enjoy  the  fine  weather  and  the  excellent 
table  of  the  St.  Laurent.  They  readily  fell  in  with  the  Freiuh 
system  which  is  in  use  on  the  steamers  of  this  line. 


60  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE    BELLS. 

EVERY  morning  Michel,  the  steward,  brought  a  cup  of  coffee 
and  a  crooked  Vienna  roll  to  the  berth  of  each  of  the  ladies. 
Michel  was  a  vivacious,  lean  little  Frenchman,  clad  in  dark  blue, 
with  alert  and  softly  gliding  steps,  who  fulfilled  the  duties  of  a 
chambermaid  very  adroitly,  making  the  beds,  tucking  in  and  turning 
down  the  blankets,  with  more  than  the  skill  of  a  woman. 

In  France,  the  Homers  got  used  to  seeing  this,  but  at  first  this 
man-maid  was  an  anomaly.  Michel  was  very  obliging,  and  it  was 
cheering  to  have  him  come  in  every  morning,  with  his  plateau  and  "bon 

I    55 

jour ! 

A  good  comfortable  breakfast  at  nine  or  later,  and  dinner  at  four, 
were  the  meals  of  the  day.  There  was  lunch  at  some  time  be- 
tween, but  the  Homers,  except  Tommy,  seldom  went  down  to  it, 
preferring  to  pass  the  long  day  on  deck,  and  here  after  dinner  they 
again  assembled,  having  the  coffee  brought  to  them  then.  And  this 
was  the  pleasantest  part  of  the  whole,  comfortably  digesting  a  good 
dinner,  reposing  on  well  arranged  chairs  and  pillows,  with  plenty 
of  wraps,  to  see  the  clay  pale  and  the  stars  come  out,  chatting  gayly 
or  quietly  on  all  possible  subjects.  Every  one  was  surprised  to  find 
how  agreeable  every  one  else  was  ;  there  was  plenty  of  time  to  talk 
and  think,  and  discuss,  which  is  seldom  the  case  in  our  busy  American 
life. 

At  four  bells  in  the  evening  the  little  party  broke  up,  for  only 
Tommy  was  sent  off  earlier.  Mrs.  Horner  and  the  girls  went  to 
bed  at  once  and  slept  like  tops.  Mr.  Horner  smoked  a  final  cigar, 
at  this  time,  while  Miss  Lejeune  and  Mr.  Hervey  had  a  way  of  stopping 


THE  BELLS.  61 

in  the  dining-room  for  a  Welsh  rare  bit  and  a  bottle  of  Apollinaris 
which  they  both  declared  was  the  very  best  thing  to  go  to  bed 
upon. 

The  business  of  the  bells  and  dog-watches  was  a  fruitful  subject  for 
talk.  The  boys  understood  it  at  once,  the  girls  got  at  it  after  many 
explanations  ;  Mrs.  Horner  did  not  pretend  to  understand  it,  and  Miss 
Augusta  asserted  that  it  was  useless  to  try,  because  "  they  "  changed  it 
so  often,  a  statement  Mr.  Hervey  pronounced  unfair,  seeing  the  system 
was  invented  by  Columbus,  and  had  been  used  ever  since  his  first  voy- 
age without  the   slightest  change. 

Tommy  was  a  little  puzzled  by  this,  but  Philip  and  Bessie  told  him 
afterwards  that  once  for  all,  he  had  better  believe  nothing  that  either 
aunt   Gus  or  Mr.  Hervey  said  when  they  were  "  chaffing." 

"  You  can  believe  papa  always,"  said  Philip,  "  and  mamma  too,  only 
she   does  not   know  much." 

"And  Mr.  Hervey,"  added  Bessie,  "when  he  is  alone;  it  is  only 
aunt    Gus  that  makes  him  tell  lies." 

The  real  fact  about  the  bells  is  that  they  are  planned  for  the  benefit 
of  the  sailors,  and  not  for  the  passengers.  The  intention  is  to  divide 
the  day  of  twenty-four  hours,  into  six  watches,  of  four  hours  each. 
The  bells  strike  every  half-hour,  first  one,  then  two,  till  they  reach 
EIGHT,  which  of  course  takes  four  hours,  and  then  they  begin  again. 
At  noon,  when  eight  bells  strike,  is  the  time  they  are  most  generally 
noticed  by  passengers ;  at  half-past  twelve,  the  light  stroke  is  little  per- 
ceived. Two  bells  at  one  o'clock,  suggests  to  many  a  biscuit,  a  tumbler 
of  iced  champagne  and  a  nap,  and  so  on  through  the  day,  each  set  of 
bells  has  an  association  that  long  after  the  voyage  is  over,  comes  back 
with  the  familiar  sound.  There  are  two  places,  one  near  each  end 
of  the  ship,  where  the  bells  are  struck,  so  that  one  set  is  heard  first, 
then  the   other,   remote   and  faint  like   an    echo. 

So  much  seems  easy  to  understand,  but  now  comes  the  dreadful 
subject  of  the  "  dog-watch."  The  watch  means  six  different  sets  of 
sailors  who  are  on  duty  by  turns,  for  four  hours  at  a  time.  It  would 
not  be  fair  to  have  the  same  set  always  on  duty  at  night,  which  is  the 
most    disagreeable    time,   and    so  they    change    the    order   by    making 


62  A  FAMILY  1>  LIGHT. 

two    half- watches   instead   of  one  long   one,   between   four   and    eight 
P.  M.,  thus : 

Eight  o'clock,  p.  m.  is  eight  bells. 
Midnight,  twelve  o'clock  is  eight  bells. 
Four  o'clock,  a.  m.  is  eight  bells. 
Eight  o  clock,  a.  M.  is  eight  bells. 
Noon,  twelve  o'clock  is  eight  bells. 
Four  o'clock,  p.  m.  is  eight  bells  again. 

But  the  sixth  watch  only  lasts  two  hours,  from  four  to  six  p.  m.  and 
the  seventh,  also  two  hours,  from  six  to  eight ;  so  as  there  are  only 
six  sets  of  men  the  time  of  watching  is  uneven,  and  never  the 
same. 

The  daily  variations  of  time  caused  much  talk  among  the  children 
and  indeed  the  older  ones  were  sometimes  puzzled  in  trying  to  explain 
these  subjects  clearly.  Bessie  had  a  little  watch  which  had  been  given 
her  as  a  parting  present,  and  as  it  was  her  first,  she  took  much  pleasure 
in  winding  it  up  and  consulting  it.  She  did  not  like  to  "jog  it  ahead  " 
as  Jack  urged  her,  half  an  hour  every  day,  and  so  it  grew  more  and 
more  behindhand,  until  it  was  really  easiest  to  tell  time  by  the  bells 
and  verify  it  by  the   watch. 

"  The  fact  is,"  she  said,  "  we  are  cheated  out  of  half  an  hour  every 
day.  To-day  we  breakfast  at  nine  o'clock  and  dine  at  four.  Day  aftel 
to-morrow  we  shall  seem  to  be  doing  the  same  thing,  but  in  reality  we 
breakfast  and  dine  a  whole  hour  sooner.  So  the  day  we  start  we  break 
fast  at  nine  and  dine  at  four,  but  the  day  we  get  there  those  hours  will 
be  four  o'clock  in  the  .-morning  for  breakfast,  and  eleven  o'clock  for 
dinner." 

"  You  will  have  the  hours  made  up  for  you  going  home,"  suggested 
Miss  Lejeune,  "  then  you  have  to  wait  half  an  hour  to  catch  up 
with  the  bells  and  it  seems  very  long." 

"  Don't  speak  of  going  home  !  "  exclaimed  Mary  gayly.  "  I  wish 
we  were   going  all  round  the  world  in   this   very  steamer." 

Her  mother  groaned  gently.  Although  her  ill  feelings  were  over 
she  was  not  fully  reconciled  to  the  motion  of  the  ship ;  but  it  was 
a  great  pleasure  to  see  Mary  so  soon  recovering  her  good   spirits. 


THE  BELLS.  63 

The  seat  at  table  next  to  Bessie  was  always  vacant  through  the 
first  week  of  the  voyage,  but  on  Sunday,  after  all  were  seated,  there 
was  quite  a  little  stir  in  the  dining-room  as  a  majestic  old  lady  sailed 
in,  followed  by  her  maid  carrying  a  cushion  and  wraps.  This  was 
the  old  lad}-  she  had  noticed  before,  Mrs.  Chevenix,  making  her 
nineteenth  trip  across  the  Atlantic.  She  was  gorgeously  arrayed 
in  a  lace  cap  with  scarlet  poppies  nodding  at  one  side,  and  a  cashmere 
shawl  was  drawn  over  her  shoulders.  A  delicate  girlish  color,  sug- 
gestive of  rouge,  mantled  her  cheeks,  and  the  light  puffed  curls  on 
her  brow  were  marvellously  black.  She  was  led  to  the  vacant  seat 
by  Bessie,  and  the  young  Homers  gazed  at  her  with  awe  and 
amazement.  The  captain,  who  spoke  but  little  in  general  to  the 
others,  saluted  her  with  great  deference,  and  she  at  once  began  a 
lively  French  conversation  with  him  across  the  table. 

"  You  can  leave  me,  now,  Mary,"  she  said  to  the  maid,  who  had 
been  adjusting  the  cushion  to  her  back,  and  a  foot-warmer  at  her 
feet.  "  I  shall  do  excellently  now.  I  mean  to  make  an  excellent 
dinner.  Eveiything  is  sure  to  be  au  meilleiir  on  a  French  ship,  and 
gargon,  tell  them,  to   send   me  a  bottle  of  vin  extraordlnairey 

She  looked  about  graciously  upon  her  companions,  and  even  put; 
iip  her  glasses  to  scan  them  more  closely,  whereupon  : 

"  You  have  forgotten  me,  I  fear,  Mrs.  Chevenix ;  I  am  Mr.  Hervey 
Mr.  Clarence    Herve}',   of  Boston, "   said  that  gentleman. 

"  Ah  !  my  dear  sir,  not  at  all ;  delighted  ! "  replied  the  old  lady, 
"  I  should  have  recognized  you  at  once,  but  I  am  so  myope,  you  know  j 
absolutely   nothing   without  my   glasses." 

Mr.  Hervey  now  introduced  the  Homers,  and  a  great  deal  of  amusing 
talk  followed  ;  for  Mrs.  Chevenix  Mas  still  a  delightful  woman  of  the 
world,  very  agreeable,  in  spite  of  her  affectations.  She  told  a,  number 
of  her  adventures  on  previous  voyages  with  great  spirit  ;  hut  alas ! 
before  the  salad  was  removed,  an  unfortunate  lurch  of  the  ship  was 
too  much  for  her;  she  turned  pale  under  her  rouge,  and  moved  back 
hastily,    calling: 

"Mary!  I   must  have    Mary!" 

Mary    Horner    who    was   remarkably    quick    and    observant,    sprang 


64 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


forward  at  once,  and  half-supporting  the  old  iady  with  one  arm 
around  her,  led  her  quickly  to  the  door  of  the  salle  d  manger,  where 
the  faithful  maid,  who  was  not  far  off,  received  her,  and  bore  her  away 
to  her  state-room. 

After  this  Mary  Horner  became  a  great  favorite  with  Mrs.  Chevenix, 
who  soon  recovered  from  this  last  little  attack  of  sea-sickness,  and 
took  her  place  regularly  at  meals,  entertaining  the  whole  party  by  her 
vivacity  and  shrewd    remarks. 

Otherwise,  they  made  few  intimacies,  but  many  acquaintances  on 
the  ship.  There  was  a  shy  and  awkward  young  man  named  Buffers, 
who  hovered  about  the  girls  a  good  deal,  and  finally  gained  courage 
to  join  them  in  their  walks  up  and  down  the  deck.  He  had  a  small 
moustache,  which  he  fostered  much,  and  a  cane  with  which  he  was 
not  yet  very  familiar ;  but  when  they  came  to  know  him,  Bessie  did 
not  laugh   at   him  very   much,   and   Mary    pronounced    him    to  be  a 

nice  boy. 

There  was   a   pretty  wom- 
an     travelling    alone,     Mrs. 
Freeman,     who    received     a 
great  many    attentions  from 
all   the   gentlemen  on  board, 
until    one    of  them  grew    so 
devoted  as  to  drive  away  all 
other    aspirants.       She     was 
said     to      be     a 
widow,    and     he 
was  said  to  be  a 
rich  bachelor.    It 
was  hoped  by  all- 
observers  that  it 
would     be     a 
match,    and    the 

assiduities  of  the  gentleman,  and  the  coyness  of  the  lady,  were 
much  watched  and  criticised. 

Tommy  found   several  boon  companions  of  his  own  age,  who  bade 


MRS.    FKEEMAS. 


i'HE  BELLS. 


65 


fair  to  make  existence  miserable  by  tearing  up  and  down  the  stairway, 
climbing  booms,  and  endangering  their  lives  by  hanging  over  the  rail ; 
but  the  discipline  of  the  ship  was  strict,  and  elders  were  in  the 
majority,  so  that  the  nuisance  of  a  horde  of  ill-disciplined  children  let 
loose  upon  a  steamer,  was  happily  escaped.  Strange  to  say  there  was 
no  boy  of  Philip's  age,  which  kept  him  much  with  his  sisters,  and  in 
the  society  of  his  father's  friends. 

Thus  the  voyage  drew  quietly  towards  its  end  :  an  exceptional 
passage,  every  one  said,  in  regard  to  weather,  for  they  had  no  storm, 
and  only  a  few  days  of  drizzling  rain.  That  it  had  been  remarkably 
pleasant,  even   Mrs.   Horner  was   willing    to   allow. 

On  their  approach  to  France,  the  question  came  under  discussion, 
whether  they  should  land  at  Brest,  or  go  on  to  Havre.  As  Miss 
Lejeune  had  anticipated,  it  was  easily  decided  for  the  latter  course. 
Not  only  most  of  the  passengers,  but  the  pleasantest  ones  were  to 
keep  on  to  Havre,  and  it  seemed  a  pity  to  break  up  their  agreeable 
part}r  till  the  last  moment.  As  it  happened,  the  stop  at  Brest  was 
made  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  a  few  travelling  agents  were  put  on 
shore  in  a  boat,  and  the  rest  saw  nothing  of  the  place,  but  the  next 
day  steamed  along  the  channel  with  a  fresh  breeze,  and  some  distant 
glimpses  of  the  rocky   coast  of  northwestern  France. 


W  A    FAMILY    FLIGHT 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE   ARRIVAL. 

IT  was  low  tide  when  the  St.  Laurent  came  to  anchor,  and  it 
was  necessary  to  land  by  means  of  a  tug  which  came  alongside 
of  the  steamer  for  that  purpose.  Being  Americans,  all  the  passengers 
were  in  a  hurry  to  get  off,  and  each  one  wished  to  be  the  first  to 
leave  the  ship ;  they  crowded  about  the  gangway  long  before  it 
was  time  to  go.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  wind,  and  the  harbor 
was  full  of  little  waves,  which  kept  the  tug  bobbing  up  and  down, 
so  that  now  it  was  high  up  above  the  level  of  the  steamer,  and  now 
down  below,  and  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  keep  the  plank  between 
the  vessels  steady  long  enough  for  the  passengers,  one  by  one,  to 
cross. 

Our  party  stood  a  little  aside,  watching  the  exodus  with  some 
gloom.  Much  as  she  had  longed  for  the  end  of  the  ten  days  and  for 
terra  firma,  Mrs.  Horner  wished  now  she  need  not  leave  the  dear 
St.  Laurent-,  all  her  fear  of  the  sea  returning  which  had  been 
forgotten  during  the  prosperous  voyage.  The  boys  longed  to  spring 
upon  the  tug,  and  were  only  kept  back  by  moral  and  physical 
suasion.  "  No  hurry,"  "  there  is  plenty  of  time,"  their  mentors 
were  obliged  to  keep  saying ;  they  were  forced  to  content  themselves 
with  watching  those  who  went  before. 

Among  the  rest  came  dear  old  Mrs.  Chevenix,  of  whom  they  had 
become  very  fond  at  last,  she  was  so  good-natured,  in  spite  of  her 
little  foibles,  which  they  began  by  laughing  at.  Mr.  Hervey  sprang 
forward  through  the  crowd  to  help  her;  she  was  quite  stout  and 
rather  blind,  and  decidedly  timid.  With  the  captain,  who  himself 
deigned   to  show  her  this  attention,  at  one  elbow,  and   Mr.    Hervey 


THE  ARRIVAL. 


67 


at  the  other, 

and    with    her    excellent    maid     Mary 

close   at  hand,  she  came  to  the  gang-plank. 

"  Now,  Madam  !  "  said   the  cap- 
tain ;  but  before  she  could  ad- 
vance,  down     went    the    tug 
into  a  t  rough  of  water, 

"Wait  one  mo- 
ment, Mrs.  Cheve- 
nix,"  said  Mr.  Her- 
vc\ .  as  up  flew  the 
tug  in  their  faces. 

'•Now!"  "Not  yet!"  "Now!  now!"  were  the  directions  following 
close  upon  each  oilier,  till  it  seemed  as  if  years  went  by,  before  (lie 
plucky  old  lady  was  deposited  in  safety  on  the  grimy,  smoky  little 
boat,    which    looked    like    an     impudent    little    puppy,    after    their    big 


rill-;  ('oast  of    NORMA  \  i>  v. 


OS  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

Newfoundland  of  a  steamship.  The  Homers  followed  close  upon 
Mrs.  Chevenix  and  Mr.  Hervey,  and  the  hitter,  turning'  quickly  as 
soon  as  he  saw  she  was  safe,  succeeded  in  swinging  the  ladies  across 
from  Mr.  Horner,  who  stood  on  the  steamer.  They  all  joined  Mrs. 
Chevenix,  who  was  in  high  spirits  at  her  prowess,  and  very  talkative. 

"Very  polite,  that  captain,  and  you  too,  Mr.  Hervey;  always 
trust  a  Frenchman  for  gallantry  to  the  ladies;  but  I  told  him  that 
was  the  worst  landing  I  ever  made,  and  he  ought  to  have  it  attended 
to.  With  all  the  talk  about  the  docks  at  Havre,  it  is  a  pity  you 
can  not  get  into  the  country  without  being  drowned  and  breaking 
your  neck.  But  that  is  the  French  all  over,  they  are  all  for  la 
c/loire." 

Bessie  did  not  see  the  connection  in  these  remarks,  for  she  had 
not  paid  enough  attention  to  the  old  lady  to  understand  her  style. 

The  tug  went  puffing  and  bobbing  on  its  way,  and  they  could 
enjoy  the  sunset  light  on  the  water.  A  packet,  crossing  the  channel 
from  England,  swept  along,  from  which  the  passengers  had  evidently 
been  watching  their  late  struggle.  The  people  at  the  bow  of  the 
little  steamer  all  looked  fresh  and  in  good  order,  as  if  the  dreaded 
channel  had  not  kept  up  its  reputation  for  roughness. 

Land  was  soon  reached,  but  the  trials  of  the  party  were  not  yet 
over.  The  stone  docks  are  very  magnificent,  but  very  steep,  especially 
at  low  tide  ;  there  is  a  long  flight  of  steps,  very  damp  and  slippery 
at  first,  built  into  the  stone  rampart.  It  had  taken  so  long  to  get 
off  the  steamer,  that  it  was  already  growing  dark,  and  very  grewsome 
it  was  to  climb  one  by  one  the  many  steps  which  led  to  the  top ; 
but  at  last  it  was  reached.  The  children,  dazed  and  bewildered 
with  the  jargon  of  a  new  language,  and  by  the  sudden  change  from 
their  sea  life,  could  hardly  now  take  note  of  events.  Philip  said 
afterwards  the  only  thing  he  remembered  was  the  queer  feelino-  of 
a  real  bed,  at  the  hotel  where  they  passed  the  night.  He  felt  the 
motion  of  the  ship  more  now  than  at  any  time  since  the  beginning,  and, 
in  fact,  it  was  two  or  three  days  before  any  of  them  were  wholly 
rid  of  it. 

No  time  was  to  be  wasted  at  Havre.     Miss  Lejeune  and  Mr.  Hervev 


ON   THE    PACKET. 


cast  longing  eyes  in  the  direction  of  Trouville  sur-mer,  only  about 
half  an  hour  off.  and  told  the  girls  sunn-  amusing  tales  of  that  gay 
watering    place.     As   the   train  which    they  intended    to   take  did   not 


70 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


leave  till  afternoon,  a  part  of  the  family  strolled  about  the  city,  saw 
the  statue  of  St.  Pierre,  the  author  of  Paul  and  Virginia,  and  the 
many  modern,  not  very  interesting,  buildings  of  the  handsome  town. 
Far  more  amusing  Philip  found  it,  to  look  into  shop-windows,  and  to 
stare  at  the  strong  muscular  horses,  drawing  heavy  loads. 

The  first  foreign  town  in  one's  experience 'seems  very  foreign,  even 


HAVRE    FROM   A   DISTANCE. 

if  it  is  cosmopolitan  and  modern.  The  commonest  sights  and  sounds 
of  the  street  are  strange  and  new,  and  it  is  these  that  at  first  absorb 
the  whole  attention.  Tommy  was  amazed  and  awed.  He  walked 
along   silently,  holding  pretty  tight   to  his  father's  hand. 

Tommy  did  not  practice  his  French  in  Havre  but  once,  when,  left 
alone  with  the  gargon,  who  was  arranging  the  tray  with  coffee  and 
eggs  in  their  salon  in  the  morning,  he  said  to  him  rather  softly, 
"  Parlezoom   Francais  ?  " 


THE    ARRIVAL. 


71 


The  waiter  did  not  notice  the  question  at  all,  he  was  so  busy  with 
spoons  and  cups,  and  Tommy  was  glad  he  did  not,  especially  when  the 
man,  tapping  immediately  afterwards  at  the  door  of  Mrs.  Horner's 
room,  said  with  a  strong  Irish  accent: 

"  Breakfast  is  ready,  mum.*' 

Everything  in  the  hotel  struck  them  as  odd ;  the  windows  and  doors 
d  deux  battants  opened  like  folding-doors,  never  shutting  very  tight, 
but  with  a  tremendous  clang,  with  handles  like  corkscrews,  large  and 
clumsy.  This  waiter  was  an  amazing  creature,  who  climbed  countless 
stairs  with  a  tray  on  his  shoulder,  containing  coffee  and  cups  and  long 
beams  of  bread,  and  oeufs  a  la  coque,  which  was  all  they  were  allowed 
for  breakfast.  They  could  have  ordered  beefsteak  and  even  buck- 
wheat cakes  ;  but  this  subject  had  been  talked  over  before,  and  they 
all  agreed  with  Miss  Lejeune's  advice,  viz :  not  to  carry  their  national 
habits  about  with  them,  but  to  do,  in  each  country,  as  its  inhabitants 
do.  Their  life  on  the  French  ship  had  accustomed  them  somewhat 
to  the  plan  of  a  light  breakfast.  They  also  prepared  themselves  man- 
fully for  going  without  iced-water  without  grumbling,  till  they  reached 
again   the   land  of  Tudor  and  refrigerators. 

Mr.  Hervey  veiy  simply  fell  into  their  party  for  the  present.  He 
joined  them  in  the  morning,  went  with  Mr.  Horner  to  look  after  the 
luo-o-age  at  the  Douane,  and,  indeed,  was  of  great  service,  from  his 
knowledge  of  French  and  travelling.  The  French  of  Mr.  Horner, 
like  many  another  paterfamilias,  was  that  of  the  classics,  rather 
than  of  daily  life.  He  could  recite  you  pages  of  Pha3dre,  and  was 
familiar  with  the  Code  Napoleon  in  the  original,  but  to  call  suddenly 
in   French   for   a  bootjack,  was  beyond   him. 

Tt  was  not  long  before  they  were  in  the  train,  flying  express  from 
Havre  to  Paris,  an  1,  ones  for  all,  it 
may  be  here  described  how  they 
usually  shook  down  into  their  com- 
partment. Mrs.  Horner  and  Miss 
Lejeune  in  the  seats  of  honor,  the 
gentlemen  opposite  rhem,  and  the 
children     appropriating      the     win- 


1        2 

3         4 

r.   Mary,                        ...                   6.   Mr.  Hervey. 
4.    I  unimv.                                  ' 

2.  Mis-,  Lejune.                               7.  Mr.  Horner. 

3.  Mrs.  Horner.    5-   Hessle-         s.  jack. 

11       5       6              7        8       j 

72 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


dows.  Of     course      there     were      changes     from    time      to      time 

in  this  arrangement. 

It  worked  very  well,  though  not  previously  planned,  that  their  number 
just  filled  a  railway  carriage  ;  and  this  they  owed,  among  maii}r  nice 
things,  to  the  addition  of  Mr.  Hervey.  There  is,  to  be  sure,  some- 
thing to  be  said  on  the  other  side.  A  large  party,  rilling  up  one  car- 
riage, and  always  together,  is  shut  out  from  that  contact  with  other 
travellers,  which  is  a  source  of  much  amusement,  and  often  great 
pleasure,  to  a  .smaller  one.  But  this  cannot  be  helped,  and  the  com- 
pensation is  being  free  from  the  annoyance  of  disagreeable  intruders. 
On  the  present  occasion,  as  the  train  was  very  full,  at  a  way  station 
a  French  woman  was  crowded  in  upon  them,  in  spite  of  their  number. 
She  was  very  voluble,  and  full  of  apologies.     She   had  a  parrot  in   a 


ST.    OUEN,    1IOUEX. 


cage  in    one  hand,  and  she  put    a   basket  under  the    seat,  which,  she 
afterwards    explained,  contained    kittens.       She    would    have    told   her 


THE    ARRIVAL.  7.3 

whole  history  to  Miss  Lejeune,  who  was  the  only  person  who  could 
understand  half  what  she  said,  but  that  another  place  was  found  for 
her  by  and  by,   in   a  "third  class,*'   where   she  belonged. 

She  left  the  travellers  rather  discouraged  about  their  French,  but 
Mr.  Hervey  assured  them  that  she  talked  a  patois  that  nobody  could 
understand. 

With  this  exception,  their  whole  attention  was  turned  to  the 
scenerv   from   the   windows,  as  the   train    hurried   them    along  through 


KOUEN. 


a  level,  somewhat  monotonous,  but  very  pretty  country,  looking  "just 
like  pictures  of  France,"  as  Bessie  observed.  Long  rows  of  poplar 
trees,  or  willows,  and  far-stretching  fields  with  neat  little  houses  on 
them,  were  all  delightfully  different  from  Springfield  and  Hartford. 
The  trim,  well-ordered  condition  of  the  road-bed,  the  tidy  little  stations, 
almost  always  surrounded  by  neat,  bright  patches  of  flowers,  enchanted 
and   surprised  them  ;  they  amused    themselves  by  trying  to  pronounce 


74 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


the  funny  names  of  the  stations,  as  they  flew  by  the  white  boards  on 
which  they  were  painted.  The  quiet  and  method,  the  absence  of 
hurry,  so  different  from  the  bustle  and  contusion  of  travel  in  America, 
even  now  began  to  impress  them,  and  to  tell  upon  the  nerves  of  the 
elders,  giving  them  a  feeling  of  repose,  even  while  in  motion. 

The  trip  from  Havre  to  Paris  is  only  five  hours,  direct,  and  they 
had  decided  not  to  stop  at  Rouen  and  see  the  cathedral,  while  resolv- 
ing to  do  so  later.  Many  travellers  have  made  this  resolution,  and 
failed  to  come  back;  but  it  is  not  possible  to  turn  aside  for  every 
monument  on  the  road,  anil  Paris  is  a  magnet  that  draws,  with  a 
steady  pull,  those  who  are  set  towards  it. 


KUUEX    l'KOM    THE    KIVJSK. 


So  they  contented  themselves  with  the  pretty  view  of  Rouen,  from 
the   river,   as   they   crossed   the   Seine. 

It  was  nearly  dark,  as  they  drew  near  Paris,  but  not  enough  so  to 
prevent  them  from  seeing  everythino-  distinctly,  and  the  sunset  lio-ht 
gilded  the  windows,  and  spires,  and   little    bits  of  water,  making    them 


THE  ARRIVAL. 


75 


sparkle.  There  was  real  excitement,  which  they  need  not  pretend  to 
hide,  for  all  were  in  harmony,  and  the}*  had  no  wish  to  appear  bored 
or  indifferent,  as  they  approached  the  great  capital  of  the  world, 
which  has  been  so  often  the  centre  cf  human  interest.  Crossing  and 
recrossing  the  Seine,  they  caught  glimpses  of  St.  Germain,  and  saw 
and  heard  the  names  of  places  they  had  been  reading  about  all  their 
lives  :  before  they  could  take  it  all  in,  through  tunnels  and  by  bridges, 
and  over  and  under  streets  they  found  themselves  at  a  standstill 
in  the  gare   Tor  station)  of  the  Rue  St.  Lazare. 


76  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

DEAR    PARIS. 

IT  was  dark;  the  station  appeared  vast,  strange,  and  gloomy.  Our 
party  was  hustled,  with  the  rest  of  the  crowd,  into  an  immense 
dreary  barn  of  a  place,  where  they  sat  upon  a  hard  bench,  to  wait  for 
the  inspection  of  the  luggage.  The  gentlemen  hovered  about  near 
them,  at  the  same  time  watching  their  chances  of  identifying  their 
trunks.  The  first  thing  had  been  to  secure  outside  a  small  omnibus 
which  would  contain  them   all. 

All  over  Europe  the  system  of  baggage  checks,  used  in  America, 
is  unknown.  Good  Americans  wonder  why  it  is  not  introduced  uni- 
versally, and  perhaps  it  will  be,  one  of  these  days.  Meanwhile,  at 
every  arrival,  it  is  necessary  for  each  passenger  to  go  and  pick  out 
his  own  pieces.  The  boxes  are  all  brought  and  tossed  down  upon 
a  long  sort  of  counter,  pell-mell,  as  they  are  in  our  stations,  only  a 
big,  separate  room  is  devoted  to  them,  with  the  hard  bench  running 
round  it.  Each  trunk  must  be  identified,  and,  Avhat  is  more,  in- 
spected by  the  Custom  House  officer,  and  marked  with  a  white 
cross,  in  chalk.  This  inspection  does  not  amount  to  much,  in  the 
case  of  a  long  train  full  of  trunks,  like  the  present,  and  the  whole 
affair  passes  off  more  quietly  and  quickly  than  might  be  supposed. 
"  There  is  no  hurry,"  is  the  great  lesson  which  Americans  begin  to 
learn   the  moment   they  go  out  of  their  own   country. 

Twelve  trunks  to  be  found  and  identified,  seemed  like  looking  for 
a  whole  paper  of  needles  in  a  hay-stack,  in  all  that  mass  of  big  and 
little  luggage ;  but  thanks  to  the  red  and  3rellow  bar,  and  other 
conspicuous  signs,  Mr.  Horner  got  his  things  together,  crossed  off, 
and    away,    in    not  much    more    than  half  sr/i  hour,  which    they  were 


DEAR  PARIS.  77 

told  was  surprising  luck.  Mr.  Hervey,  meanwhile,  had  found  his 
own  convenient  little  valise,  and  they  now  went  to  their  omnibus, 
which  seemed  just  a  pattern  for  them.  While  the  tired  and  timid 
Homers  sat  within,  the  powerful  French  porters  piled  the  luggage  on 
top  of  the  omnibus,  climbing  up  by  a  little  ladder.  As  each  great  trunk 
crashed  down  upon  the  slight  roof,  they  started,  and  it  was  indeed 
an  alarming  sight  to  see  such  a  pile  upon  so  apparently  slight  a 
foundation.  But  it  appeared  to  be  a  mere  matter-of-course  to  the 
porters  ;  there  were,  indeed,  no  Saratogas,  and  not  much  sole-leather. 
So  they  rattled  off  at  a  brisk  trot,  and  heard,  for  the  first  time,  the 
click  of  horses'  feet  upon  the  Paris  asphalt,  driving  through  the 
narrow   streets  to  the   broad   and   brilliant  boulevard,  now  all  lighted 


BOULEVARD    MOXTMARTRE. 


with  streams  of  gas.  within  and  without  the  shops,  and  columns 
of  electric  light.  Gaiety,  light,  movement,  are  the  characteristics  of 
Paris.  New  York,  which  follows  fast  in  its  footsteps,  has  not  reached 
yet  the  air  of  joyous  living  which  pervades  the  French  city. 
Even  at  this  hour,  people  were  sitting  at  the  little  tables 
before  the  cafSs   ordering    ices    or    absinthe. 

On    arriving   at  Havre.  Mr.  Horner  had  found  a  letter   telling  him 


78 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


that  his  rooms  were  engaged,  as  he   wished,    at    the    Hotel    du   Rhin, 

Place  Vendome.  He  had  then  only  to  tele- 
graph the  hour  of  his  arrival,  in  order  to 
be  expected  at  the  right  time.  So  now  they 
travelled  down  the  brilliant  Rue  de  la  Paix, 
and  round  the  column  to  the  opposite  cor- 
ner, and  under  the  archway  into  the  odd 
little    court  of  the  ancient  hotel. 

Here  Mr.  Hervey  left  them  for  the  present. 
He  was  to  put  up,  much  against  his  will,  at 
the  Grand  Hotel,  on  account  of  a  business  ap- 
pointment there.  Promising  to  see  them  often, 
without  any  more  definite  arrangement,  he 
drove  off  alone  in  their  omnibus,  leaving 
them  to  shake   down   in    their  new  quarters. 

The  Stuyvesants,  who  were  the  chief 
friends  in  Paris  of  the  Homers,  lived  ii» 
an  apartment  in  the  Rue  Josephine,  which  is  one  of  the 
streets  of  the  newer  part  of  Paris,  and  quite  at  a  distance 
from  the  Place  Vendome.  But  urged  by  their  mentor,  Miss  Lejeune, 
the  Homers  wisely  decided  to  place  themselves  in  the  heart  of  the 
city,  near  the  shops  and  theatres,  the  river  and  bridges.  The  hotels 
are  old,  and  without  modern  conveniences  for  the  most  part,  but  that 
in  itself  makes  them  more  foreign  than  the  modern  apartments,  which 
are  too  much  like  New  York  houses  to  be  amusing  for  their  novelty. 
The  older  part  of  the  town  is  more  essentially  French,  and  foreign 
than  the  other,  and  therefore  "a  great  deal  better  fun."  So  the 
narrow  entry  and  stairway,  rather  dirty  and  not  very  well  lighted, 
pleased  them  more  than  a  splendid  modern  hotel  entrance  would 
have  done.  For  that,  they  should  have  gone  to  the  Grand  Hotel, 
whose  immense  courtyards,  with  wide  stairways,  elevators,  fountains, 
gilding  and  mirrors,  remind  an  American  of  a  New  York  hotel,  and 
fail  to  give  that  impression  of  novelty  and  antiquity  combined,  which 
we  ask  for  in   Europe. 

So  they  found   themselves   soon  in  a  pleasant  salon,  which  formed 


DEAR  PARIS. 


79 


the  chief  room  of  their  apartment,  sitting  down  to  a  comfortable  little 
dinner  brought  to  them  there.  Doors  opened  from  this  room,  on 
either  side,  into  bedrooms  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Horner  and  their 
daughters.  Miss  Lejeune  appropriated  a  pleasant  bedroom  near  at 
hand,  although  not  en  suite.  The  boys,  to  their  great  glory,  were 
relegated  to  a  room  au  cinquieme,  by  themselves.  This  was  the  first 
time  that  Tommy  had  ever  gone  so  far  from  the  maternal  wing  to 
roost.  Philip  good-naturedly  consented  to  look  after  him,  and  they 
went  off  to  bed  m  great  state,  followed  b}~  the  anxious  eyes  of  their 
mother,  who  feared  something  might  happen  to  them  in  that  strange 
hotel.  And  thus  ended  the  first  whole  day  of  the  Homers  in  a 
foreign  country. 

The  next  morning,  when  the  boys  woke  up,  the  first  thing  that 
met  their  ears  was  the  click,  click,  trot,  trot,  of  the  horses"  feet  in  the 
Place  Vendome,  on  which  their  room  looked.  Suddenly  followed  a 
burst  of  music,  from  a  band  in  the  square.  They  both  sprang  from  their 
beds,  and  ran  to  look  out.  Their  window,  literally  in  a  French  roof, 
was  reached  by  a  high  step  and  window-seat,  from  which  they  could 
conveniently  look  down,  far  into  the  place  below,-  and  across  to  the 
Vendome   columi ,  just 

before     them    in      the 

middle   of  the   square. 
"  My  !  Is  it  not  just 

like  our  paper-weight ! " 

cried  Tommy. 

The  celebrated  Ven- 
dome column  has  been 

reproduced,   in  reality, 

almost  as   often     as     it 

has  in    miniature  for  a 

table  ornament.    It  was 

originally  built  by   the 

first  Napoleon,  to  com-  — 

.   .  ...  YI.MmiMI.    COLUMN. 

memorate  his  victories, 

in  1803.     It  was   taken    down   by    the  Communists    in    May,  1871 ;  but 


80  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

as;  the     fragments    were  preserved,    it  has  since    been    again    erected. 

The  statue  of  Napoleon  on  top  has  gone  through  similar  changes. 
The  original  one,  which  lie  put  there  himself,  made  of  Russian  and 
Austrian  cannons,  melted  up  for  the  purpose,  was  taken  down  by 
tlie  Royalists  in  1814,  and  the  metal  employed  to  cast  an  equestrian 
statue  of  Henry  IV.  on  the  Pont  Neuf.  It  was  replaced  by  a  monster 
fleur-de-lis,  surmounted  by  a  large  white  flag.  In  1831,  Louis  Philippe 
caused  a  new  statue  of  the  Emperor  to  be  put  on  the  top  of  the 
column,  cast  of  the  metal  of  guns  captured  at  Algiers.  This  was 
removed  in  1863  to  Avenue  de  Neuilly,  and  replaced  by  the  present 
one,  representing  the  Emperor  in  his  imperial  robes,  and  supposed 
to  be  just  like  the  original  one.  The  other  statue,  in  the  Avenue  de 
Neuilly,  was  thrown  into  the  Seine  by  the  Communists,  in  1871. 

Such  are  the  ups  and  downs  of  the  effigies  of  the  great  men  of 
France,  as  well  as  their  own,  and  the  dynasties  they  represent.  M. 
Marechal,  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel  where  the  Homers  were,  is  said 
to  have  offered  the  Communists  five  hundred  thousand  francs,  if  they 
would  spare  the  Vendome  column.  They  said :  "  Make  it  a  million,, 
and  we  will  see."  M.  Marechal  kept  his  money,  and  the  column 
was  destroyed. 

The  boys  were  so  absorbed,  half-dressed  with  their  heads  out  of 
window,  in  watching  the  lively  movement  of  the  street,  which 
was  full  of  little  carriages  and  cabs,  the  sidewalks  crowded  with  people,, 
gay  uniforms,  maids  with  caps,  workmen  in  their  blue  blouses,  and  all 
different  from  the  long  lines  of  busy  passengers  they  were  used  to 
in  Broadway,  that  they  heard  no  knock  at  the  door,  when  their  father 
came  to  call  them,  nor  his  voice,  until  he  crossed  the  room  and  put 
a  hand  upon  the  shoulder  of  each. 

"  Oh,  papa  !  is  it  not  splendid  fun !  Can  we  go  down  there  right 
off?'"  cried  Tommy. 

■'Dress  yourselves  first,  and  stop  for  coffee  at  No.  27," 
replied  his  father.  "  After  that  you  can  go  out,  if  Phil  will 
take  you." 

The  boys  thought  the  view  from  their  parlor  was  less  .amusing  than 
that    they    had    left,  for    the   windows    looked    upon    the   street   which 


DEAR  PAEIS.  81 

leads  from  the  Place  Vendome  to  the  Rue  St.  Honore*.  It  is  narrow 
and  crowded,  and  not  so  gay  as  the  wide  square.  They  found 
their  family,  however,  refreshed  and  animated  by  the  sound  sleep  of 
the  night,  and  soon  Miss  Lejeune  joined  them.  The  boys  were  per- 
suaded not  to  go  out  till  some  plan  of  action  had  been  made  for  the 
day;  and  they  were  glad  of  this,  by  and  by,  when  a  tap  at  the  door 
announced  Mr.  Hervey,  who  came  thus  early  to  rejoin  the  party 
which  he  had  found  so  attractive  hitherto. 

"Forgive  me,''  he  said,  turning  to  Mr.  Horner,  "for  mentioning 
the  word  plans,  since  you  and  I  are  agreed  on  the  two  essential 
rules  of  travel :  First,  never  to  have  any ;  second,  never  to  mention 
them." 

"  You  are  always  saying  that,"  exclaimed  Philip,  rather  impatiently ; 
"but  I'm  sure  I  do  not  know  what  you  mean." 

"  He  means,  Phil,"  said  his  father  gravely,  "  that  it  is  wise  in 
travelling  not  to  allow  yourself  to  be  hampered  by  a  plan,  made  before 
starting,  so  much  as  to  lose  doing  a  great  many  things  which  may 
turn  up  afterwards." 

"And  then,"  cried  Miss  Augusta,  "after  you  have  decided  to  do 
a  tiling,  do  not  go  and  tell  everybody,  and  thus  grow  tired  of  your 
jDlan  before  carrying  it  out." 

"However,"  continued  Mr.  Horner,  "an  able  general  must  reveal 
some  plan  of  battle,  I  believe,  to  his  troops,  before  opening  the  campaign; 
and  I  must  say  I  should  like  to  consult  with  my  aids  and  lieutenants 
seriously  before  we  advance  further.  Mrs.  Horner  thinks,"  he  went  on, 
addressing  Mr.  Hervey,  "  that  we  may  as  well  settle  down  here  for 
a  month  or  more,  before  going  further,  and  thus  do  up  Paris  now. 
This  will  accustom  us  to  foreign  life,  and  to  the  sound,  at  least,  of 
French  ;  and  as  we  mean  to  leave  the  real  travelling  part  till  summer, 
there  is  no  reason  for  hurrying  away  from  here  now." 

The  young  people  exchanged  glances  of  delight  which  was  mod- 
erated a  little  as  their  father  went  on. 

"  Miss  Lejeune  thinks  it  might  be  worth  while  for  the  girls,  at 
any  rate,  to  take  regular  French  lessons,  and  perhaps  Philip  ;  at  all 
events,  we   want    to  have   some   system   in   our    sight-seeing,  and   not 


82 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT 


devour  oar  Paris  like  a  box  of  bonbons.  Many  people  go  away  with 
very  little  idea  of  the  historical  monuments  of  the  city  ;  and  yet,  in 
that  regard  alone,  it  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  places  in  the  world." 

The  others  agreed.  Bradshaw  and  Murray,  maps  and  plans  were 
brought  out,  and  a  deliberation  seemed  about  to  ensue,  when  Mr. 
Hervey,  observing  the  long  faces  of  the  younger  ones,  said,  laughing: 

"Do  not  you  think  they  might  begin  with  a  nibble  at  the  bonbon 
box?  Let  every  one  go  out  and  amuse  himself  as  he  likes  for  to-day. 
They  can  not  get  lost,  if  they  use  their  Yankee  wits." 

The  grateful  children  added  their  entreaty,  and,  with  the  condition 
only  that  Tommy  should  keep  with  one  at  least  of  the  elders,  and 
with  pocket  money  in  moderation,  the  four  youngest  members  of 
the  party  sallied  forth  from  the  courtyard  of  their  hotel  for  their 
first   expedition    in   brilliant,   bewildering   Paris. 


HOTEL    DE    VILI.E. 


SIGHT-SEEING.  gg 


CHAPTER   IX. 


SIGHT-SEEING. 


THE  result  of  these  deliberations  was,  that  the  "famille  Horner" 
were  to  settle  clown  for  a  month,  at  least,  in  Paris.  They  soon 
fell  into  a  certain  routine  of  life  which  proved  very  agreeable.  Every 
morning,  after  the  usual  cup  of  coffee  and  delicious  bread  and  butter, 
some  out-door  excursion  to  "see  sights"  was  made,  either  in  groups 
or  by  the  whole  party,  at  noon,  or  later,  they  lunched  at  any  good 
restaurant  which  happened  to  be  in  their  way;  but  generally,  eveiy 
one  came  home  to  rest  or  study  during  the  afternoon.  At  six, 
or  later,  a  cosy  little  dinner  was  served  in  their  own  apartment. 
Two  evenings  in  the  week,  a  French  abbe*,  M.  Burin,  accomplished, 
instructed,  and  agreeable,  came  to  talk  French,  and  to  direct  the 
French  exercises  of  May  and  Bessie,  who  found  time  in  the  after- 
noons, to  write  and  learn  what  he  gave  them  to  do.  He  proved 
so  pleasant  that  every  one  was  glad  to  join  these  French  conversa- 
tions, and  he  soon  came  to  be  considered  an  important  member  of  the 
family  group.  His  suggestions  were  most  useful  as  to  the  direction 
of  their  search  after  object:,  of  interest  in  and  about  Paris,  and  he 
sometimes  went  with  them  to  some  favorite  point  of  historic  or  pict- 
uresque importance. 

The  buys  were  allowed  to  be  free  from  regular  lessons  during  this 
time.  Ft  may  be  thought  that  too  little  attention  was  given  to  study  ; 
but  Mr.  ami  Mrs.  Horner  considered  that  the  monuments  of  Paris, 
intelligently  considered,  were  in  themselves  an  education  for  their 
children,  while  the  language  was  surrounding  them  on  all  sides. 
In  fact,  they  tried  to  keep  themselves  as  much  as  possible  in  a  French 
atmosphere;  and,  though  careful  not  to  neglect  their  numerous  Ameri- 


■84 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


can  friends,  they 
avoided  all  din- 
ners and  invita- 
tions of  a  simply 
social  character. 
They  went  oft- 
en to  the  theatre, 
but  otherwise 
stayed  at  home 
in  the  evening : 
the  rest  and  quiet 
were  most  wel- 
come after  their 
active  day ;  and 
maps  and  guide- 
books, volumes 
of  history  and  ref- 
erence covered 
the  tables  of  their 
pretty  salon,  and 
came  out  every 
night  for  consul- 
tation. 

Mr.  Hervey 
had  not  been 
committed  to  any 
agreement  to  stay 
as  long  as  they 
did;  no  one  asked 
him  his  plans, 
and  he  said  very 
little  about  them. 
The  Homers  un- 
derstood that  he 
had    some    busi- 


SIGHT-SEEING. 


85 


ness,  and  many  friends,  to  attend  to  in  Paris.  Nevertheless,  lie  was  not 
seldom  found  in  their  gay  little  evening-circle,  and  often  joined  or 
led  the  morning  excursion.  Boys  and  girls  grew  equally  fond  of 
him ;  his  presence  was  felt  by  all  to  be  an  addition,  his  absence  a 
disappointment. 

In  the  excursions  about  the  streets  of  Paris,  the  party  seldom  went  in 
a  body.  Sometimes  Mr.  Horner  headed  one  expedition,  Mr.  Hervey 
another.     Miss  Lejeune  was   often  missing  on   these,  which  she    called 


PLAN  OF   THE  TUILLEKIES   AND   LOUVKE. 


rudimentary  trips,  being,  as  she  said,  too  familiar  with  many  things 
to  care  to  repeat;  so  she  spent  that  time  in  visiting  old  friends. 

Mrs.  Horner  saved  her  strength  by  resting  at  home  nearly  every 
other  day.  But  Mary  and  Bessie,  Philip  and  Tommy,  were  inde- 
fatigable sight-seers,  and  often  slipped  off  a  second  time  in  the  afternoon. 
They  soon  got  an  insight  into  the  topography  of  Paris,  and  could 
find  their  way  easily,  even  in  the  narrow  and  intricate  streets,  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  river,  wherever  they  found  the  most  interest. 

Their  first  excursion  of  importance  was  the  walk  through  the 
boulevards,  so  wisely  recommended  by  their  beloved  Baedeker's  Guide. 
A  bird's-eye    view    of  old    Paris,   which    shows    the    bulwarks    as    they 


M  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

looked  before  the  time  of  Loute 
XIV.,  gave  them  a  very  good  idea 
of  the  old  limits  of  the  city,  and 
an  understanding  of  how  it  came 
to   be  thus  laid  out. 

In  the  year  1670,  Lonis  XIV. 
had  these  fortifications  which  then 
surrounded  Paris,  removed,  and 
the  moats  filled  up.  In  their  place 
a  line  of  streets  grew  up,  ever 
since  called  boulevards,  and  these 
streets  are  still  as  gay  and  brill- 
iant as  the  newer  ones  built  to  rival 
them.  Starting  from  one  end  of 
them  at  the  Place  de  la  Bastille, 
and  walking  to  the  Madeleine, 
gives  a  chance  to  see  some  of  the 
most  striking  features  of  Paris. 

The  Place  de  la  Bastille  itself  is 
interesting  as  the  place  where  stood 
the  celebrated  old  prison  of  which 
the  children  had  already  heard 
and  read.  This  building  was 
destroyed  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Revolution  of  178S,  and  no  sign 
of  its  gloom  remains  in  the  modern 
column  which  marks  the  spot;  but 
it  was  easy  to  call  up  the  vision 
of  the  dismal  old  dungeon,  where 
for  more  than  four  centuries  prison- 
ers of  state  were  shut  up,  often  for  no  reason  at  all  but  some  caprice 
ot  government.  The  column  of  July  is  erected  over  the  remains 'of 
the  so-called  July  Champions,  who  took  part  in  the  revolution  of 
1830,  which  made  Louis  Philippe  king.  It  is  of  iron,  one  hundred 
and   fifty-four   feet   high,   with   a   figure   on   top  of  Liberty,  holding  a 


COLOXXE   DE   JUILLET 


SIGHT-SEEING. 


89 


torch  and  a  broken  chain.  Near  by  is  the  place  where  Archbishop 
Afire  was  killed,  in  1848,  which  again  was  the  last  stronghold  of 
the  Communists,  in  1871. 

Walking  through  the  streets  towards  the  Madeleine,  they  become 
gayer  and  gayer,  the  shops  larger,  with  huge  windows  filled  with 
all  sorts  of  amusing  things.  The  children  took  up  the  plan  proposed 
in  Miss  Ticknor's  charming  book,  Young  Americans  in  Paris,  which  they 
had  all  read  and  liked  very  much,  of  trying  to  see  how  many  of  the 
things  in  the  shops  they  could  name  in  French  as  they  passed  by.  Bessie 
lingered  long  before  a  window  full  of  delicious  dolls,  dressed  to  rep- 
resent a  wedding.  The  bride,  a  fair  young  blonde  doll,  was  attired 
in  a  white  satin  dress  with  a  long  train ;  she  wore  a  veil  with  orange 
blossoms.  The  little  bridegroom  stood  by  her  side  in  irreproachable 
costume  ;  the  parents,  the  priest,  the  bridesmaid  and  "  assistants,"  as 
the  French  say,  were  all  there. 

As  they  came  through  the  Place  du  Chateau  d'Eau,  a  flower-market 
was  going  on.  The  large  square  was  filled  with  rows  of  tables  heaped 
with  all  sorts  of  flowers  from  the  country,  and  although  it  was  lat8 
in  the  season,  the  va- 
riety of  bright  and 
gay  flowers  was  great. 
They  passed  the 
Grand  Opera  House, 
and  the  Grand  Ho- 
tel, and  came  on 
through  the  brilliant 
boulevard  des  Capu- 
cincs  to  the  Made- 
leine. 

The  three  older  children,  Mary,  Bessie  and  Philip,  had  made  this 
trip  by  themselves;  for  with  the  help  of  a  plan  of  Paris,  they  found 
their  way  about  easily,  and  they  grew  to  enjoy  more  and  more  these 
excursions  of  discovery.  Things  they  found  out  themselves  seemed 
far  more  important  than  those  which  were  pointed  out  to  them  by 
experienced    elders ;     and   some    historical  fact,  told    by    a    chance    ol^ 


THE  OPERA. 


90 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


woman   in  a  doorway,  became    far  more    real    than  if  they   had   read 
it  in  a  guide-book. 

They  were  to  meet  the  elders  at  a  restaurant  on  the  Place  de 
la  Madeleine  at  twelve  o'clock.  For  a  wonder,  no  one  was  very  late, 
and  they  had  a  merry  lunch  together.  Philip,  in  the  hope  of  becoming 
a  connoisseur  in  such  matters,  always  studied  the  bill  of  fare  with 
great  attention,  and  sometimes  ordered  a  dish  purely  for  the  singular 
name  it  had  ;  as  for  instance,  potage  a   la  gibier  de  Venfer.     He  made, 


CHUIICII    OF    THE    MADELEINE. 


in  this  way,  some  discoveries  of  dishes  that  were  excellent;  but  in 
general  the  Homers  found  it  wiser  to  order  "  un  bon  bifstek,"  or 
to  confine  themselves  to  the  dishes  which  they  knew  to  be  solid 
and  good,  from  their  experience  on  the  St.  Laurent.  They  believed 
in  good,  hearty,  nourishing  food,  and  plenty  of  it;  for  nothing  is  so 
fatiguing  as  sight-seeing  on  an  empty  stomach.  Mary  was  especially 
sensitive  to  these  physical  conditions,  as  her  appetite  was  still  delicate. 
When  she  began  to  be  nervous  and  a  little  irritable,  Philip  was  in 
the  habit  of  saying,  "Do  be  quick,  and  let  Maiy  have  something  to 
eat!     She  is  getting  cross."     People  are  not  enough  aware  how  much 


SIGHT-SEEING. 


91 


amiability  of  temper  depends    on  a  good  digestion,  caused  by  regular 
and  wholesome  food. 

It  is  an  easy  and  short  walk  from  the  Madeleine  through  the  broad 
and  straight  Rue  Royale  to  the  Place  de  la  Concorde.  The  Homers 
especially   wished    to  see    the    obelisk    of   Luxor,  which    stands    in  the 


I'LACi:   J>K   T.A    CONCORDE. 

middle   of    that    square,   to   compare   it    with    the    one    just    put    up   in 
their  own   Central  Park,  in  New   York. 

"How  different  it  looks!"  was  Tommy's  first  exclamation,  and 
a  true  one  ;  for  although  the  obelisk  itself  is  much  like  the  one  in 
*Sc\v  Yoik,  the  pedestal  is  different,  and  the  rough  corners  and  the 
crabs  which  are  such  an  important  feature  in  the  mounting  of 
ours,  are  wanting.  The  difference  is,  however,  more  in  the  surround- 
ings of  the  two.  The  French  one  looks  slight  and  elegant,  but 
dwarfed  at  the  same  time,  in  the  middle  of  its  square,  by 
fountains   and    statues  and    high    buildings,   and   appears   less   at    home 


92 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


than  the  one  in  Central  Park,  standing  alone  and  grand  in  the  midst 
of  simple  and  natural  scenery,  away  from  the  noise  and  bustle  of 
the  streets. 

The  monoliths  themselves  are  very  much  alike,  and  the  Horner 
children  were  pleased  to  recognize  the  cartouche  of  their  friend,  Ramses 
II.,  which   they  had   learned    to   know  at   home.     The    French  obelisk 

was  presented  to  Louis  Philippe  in  1830, 
by  Mohammed  Ali,  who  was  then  Pasha  of 
Egypt ;  in  the  next  year  a  vessel  was  sent 
to  bring  it  home.  The  task  was  so  difficult 
that  the  ship  did  not  return  with  its  costly 
freight  till  1833,  and  the  obelisk  was  not 
erected  in  its  present  position  till  1836.  The 
j=  expenses  of  the  whole  undertaking  amounted 
to  two  millions  of  francs,  and  as  the  obelisk 
weighs  five  hundred  thousand  pounds,  it  used 
to  be  said  in  Paris  that  the  stone  of  which 
it  consists,  cost  four  francs  per  pound. 

While  Mr.  Horner  and  the  boys,  with  Bes- 
sie, remained  in  the  Place  de  la  Concorde 
to  further  recall  its  historical  associations, 
Mary  and  her  mother,  summoning  one  of  the 
brisk  little  nacres  which  are  always  to  be 
had  at  a  signal  of  the  hand  or  parasol,  stepped 
^S?S5i  hito  it  and  were  soon  rolling  lightly  over 
cleopatka's  nekdle  at  home,  the  asphalt  pavement  of  the  Champs 
Elysees.  Miss  Lejeune  had  been  standing  with  them,  a  little  undecided 
what  to  do  ;  for  an  open  carriage  such  as  they  preferred,  only  holds 
two  comfortably,  though  there  is  a  little  seat  at  the  back  of  the  driver's 
box,  where  a  young  person  like  Mary  may  be  precariously  wedged  in. 
At  that  juncture  Mr.  Hervey  was  seen  rapidly  crossing  the  street 
towards  them,  through  the  many  vehicles,  horses  and  passengers  that 
crowd  that  part  of  busy  Paris.  He  was  looking  for  the  party,  knowing 
it  was  their  plan  to  meet  in  the  Place  at  that  hour. 

'•  Ah,    here  you  are !  "  he  cried.     "  I  was  afraid  I  should  miss  you. 


SIGHT-SEEING.  95 

I  have  been  waiting  more  than  an  hour  for  my  man  with  whom  I 
had  an  appointment  for  this  morning,  but  as  he  has  not  come  yet, 
I  determined   to  cut  him." 

"'How  fortunate  we  did  not  miss  you,"  said  Mrs.  Horner;  "to 
meet  by  chance  in  Paris  seems  like  looking  for  a  needle  in  a  hay- 
mow." 

"  Cleopatra's  needle,  mamma,  is  easier  to  find  than  most,"  remarked 
Bessie,  rather  pertly. 

The  Homers  did  not  snub  their  parents  as  much  as  many  American 
children   do,   but  it  sometimes   happened. 

••  We  are  going  to  see  the  Stuyvesants,"  said  Miss  Lejeune  to  Mr. 
Hervey,   "will  you  walk  up  with  me,  and  join   the  others  there?" 

He  smiled.  "  With  pleasure,"  he  replied,  "  but  either  they  must 
make  a  very  long  call,  or  we  must  walk  tremendously  fast." 

••  I'll  tell  you,"  said  Miss  Lejeune.  "  Jeannie,  you  shall  drive 
round  the  Arc  de  l'Etoiie  and  get  out  and  look  at  it,  if  you  like,  which 
will  till  up  the  time,  and  we  will  meet  you  later  at  the  Stuyvesants." 

So  it  was  agreed ;  the  driver  received  the  proper  directions,  and 
they  separated. 


m 


I 


CHAPTER  X. 

A.    VISIT. 


OUBTLESS  the  Champs 
Elyse*es  is  the  most  beauti- 
ful street  in  the  world  ;  it  is 
very  wide,  sloping  gently 
upward,  for  a  little  more 
than  a  mile,  to  the  Arch  of 
Triumph,  flanked  by  hand- 
some buildings  and  planted 
with  elm  and  lime  trees. 
The  first  part  of  it  is  full 
of  cafes-chantants,  juggler's- 
shows,  marionettes,  and  all 
sorts  of  gay  entertainments, 
which  make  it  more  araus- 
""u    "  ing  to  walk   than   to  drive. 

Nurses  in  white  caps  pushing  perambulators,  little  goat-carriages  con- 
taining happy  children,  girls  with  button-bouquets,  and  a  con- 
stantly moving  mass  of  passengers  fill  the  broad  sidewalks,  while 
the  street  is  crowded  with  gay  equipages,  high-stepping  horses  elegantly 
harnessed,  handsome  liveries  and  gorgeously  dressed  women  ;  for  from 
two  to  six  are  the  fashionable  hours  for  driving  to  the  Bois  de  Boulogne, 
which  is  reached  by  this  avenue. 

These  things  so  absorbed  Mary  and  her  mother  that  on  this  occasion 
they  hardly  saw  the  palaces  and  buildings  on  their  way.  Dismissing 
their  little  carriage  at  the  Arch  of  Triumph,  they  spent  some  time 
looking  at  this  graceful  and  and  beautiful  monument,  called  the  Arc  de 
l'Etoile,  because  it  stands  in  the  centre  of  a  star  of  avenues  which  radiate 


A  VISIT. 


97 


TRIUMPHAL   ARCH. 


from  it,  called  boulevards,  after  the  other  boulevards,  although  without 
the  same  right  to  the  name. 

The  first  Napoleon  meant  to  erect  four  triumphal  arches  in  com- 
memoration of  his  victories.  Two,  only,  have  been  completed  ;  the  one 
in  the  Place  du  Carousel,  near  the  Louvre,  by  himself,  and  this  one, 
later,  by  Louis  Philippe.  There  is  a  little  staircase  within  the  side 
of  the  arch,  leading 
to  the  platform,  from 
which  there  is  a  beau- 
tiful prospect ;  but  this 
ascent  was  postponed 
for  the  active  legs 
and  easy  motion  of 
the  boys.  Mrs.  Horner 
reserved  her  strength 
for  the  top  of  the 
Tower  St.  Jacques,  which  gives  the  best  bird's-eye  view  of  Paris,  on 
account  of  its  central  position. 

The  Stuyvesants  lived  in  an  apartment  directly  on  the  corner  of 
Avenue  de  la  Reine  Hortense,  with  a  beautiful  view  looking  directly 
down  the  Champs  Elyse'es.  Their  rooms,  to  be  sure,  were  cm  cin- 
quieme,  but  the  stairs  were  easy  and  the  situation  charming  when 
they  reached  them,  with  a  little  balcony  overlooking  the  street,  into  which 
they  could  look  down  and  watch  the  carriages  and  people  made 
small  by  the  distance,  and  hear  the  gay  trot,  trot,  of  the  horses'  hoofs 
on  the  pavements,  and  the  peculiar  cracking  of  the  whips  of  the 
Parisian  coachmen. 

Miss  Stuyvesant,  the  daughter  of  the  house,  took  Mary  out  on 
the  balcony,  where  they  rather  shyly  began  an  acquaintance,  while 
the  mammas  conversed  within.  The  ladies  were  old  school-friends, 
but  they  had  not  met  for  several  years,  during  which  time  the 
Stuyvesants  had  been  living  in  Paris,  and  had  become  a  part  of  that 
large  American  colon)-,  which  stays  on  year  after  year,  thinking  itself 
on  the  apex  of  earthly  bliss,  but,  in  fact,  having  but  a  dull  time  of  it. 

Paris,   in   the  judgment  of  people   like   the   Homers,   is  a  delightful 


98  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

place  to  visit  for  a  time,  and  the  best  place  in  the  world  to  study 
art,  or  pursue  any  special  object  of  intellectual  culture ;  but  to  live 
in  without  any  such  aim,  it  must  be  monotonous,  at  least,  for  oood 
Americans  who  are  better  employed  at  home  in  helping  the  progress 
of  their  young  country. 

Miss  Stuyvesant  was  a  pale,  rather  pretty  girl,  a  little  older  than 
Mary,  wonderfully  well-dressed,  with  very  little  to  say,  after  she  had 
asked  a  great  many  questions  about  the  voyage,  and  regretted  repeat- 
edly that  the  Homers  were  so  far  down  town,  a  thing  she  took  very 
much  to  heart. 

Mary  was  glad  when  she  saw  in  the  distance  Miss  Lejeune 
and  Mr.  Hervey,  coming  briskly  along  towards  the  house.  They, 
of  course,  were  the  only  people  she  recognized,  though  Miss 
Stuyvesant  could  tell  the  names  of  a  number  of  ladies  rolling  along 
in  their  open  carriages,  with  bright  parasols  over  their  heads.  Although 
it  was  now  late  in  October,  the  day  was  warm  and  sunny. 

"  Well,  that  visit  is  off  my  mind,"  said  Mrs.  Horner  with  a  sigh  of 
relief,  when  they  were  in  the  street  again,  "  although  we  are  in  for  a 
dinner  there.  I  begged  Mrs.  Stuyvesant  to  postpone  it,  however, 
till  we  are  a  little  more  settled." 

"  Mamma,  I  think  Mr.  Stuyvesant  is  a  great  deal  nicer  than  the 
others,"  said  Mary. 

"  Yes,  that  is  true,"  her  mother  replied ;  "  he  is  an  old  friend  of 
your  father's  and  he  is  very  fond  of  him." 

"  So  you  did  not  get  on  very  well  with  Miss  Emily  ?  "  asked  Mr. 
Hervey. 

"  Well,  no,"  said  Mary ;  "  it  seems  as  if  I  had  seen  more  of  Paris 
already  than  she  has,  though  I  have  only  been  here  three  days." 

"  Are  you  tired  ?  "  he  asked  of  the  ladies  in  general ;  "  for  if  not, 
it  would  be  a  nice  chance  to  see  the  Pare  Monceau,  which  is  only 
a  little  way  off  on  this  street." 

These  grounds,  which  formerly  belonged  to  the  domain  of  Monceaux, 
were  bought  by  the  father  of  Louis  Philippe,  in  1778,  and  laid  out 
in  a  style  intended  to  be  entirely  novel,  differing  from  both  French 
and  English    established    notions,  so  as    to    surprise    and    delight  the 


A  VISIT. 


9tt 


visitor  at  every  step.  Thus  the  park  became  at  that  time  one 
of  the  most  fashionable  resorts  of  the  gay  world;  balls,  plays,  and 
fetes  of  the  most  brilliant  description  were  celebrated  there. 

The     Revolution    converted    the    park    into    national   property ;     at 
the  Restoration  it  again  fell  to  the  house  of  Orleans,  but  eventually 


PARIS    UNDER   GROUND. 


came  into  the  possession  of  the  city  and  is  now  a  public  promenade; 
and  although  not  to  be  compared  with  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  it  has 
the  advantage  of  being  within  the  precincts  of  the  city.  The  original 
fantastic  character  of  the  grounds  has  been  to  some  extent  restored, 
as  in  the  Naumachie,  an  oval  sheet  of  water  bounded  by  a  semi-circular 
Corinthian  colonade. 

The  party  were  not  too  tired  to  spend  a  little  time  looking  at  the 
rather  gaudy,  but  handsome  decorations  in  the  Russian  church,  which 
happened  to  be  open  on  that  day,  and  they  then  returned  to  their 
quiet  dinner  in  their  apartment,  easily  persuading  Mr.  Hervey  to 
join  them. 

They    found   the    others    still    talking  of   what    they    had   seen;  for 


100 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


they  hud  been  walking  all  the  afternoon.  They  crossed  the  river 
by  the  Pont  de  la  Concorde,  on  leaving  that  Place,  and  saw  the  Hotel 
des  Invalides,  the  public  buildings  along  the  Seine,  the  Quai  Voltaire 
with  its  open  stalls  of  old  second-hand  boohs,  where  book-lovers  were 
searching  for  bargains  amongst  a  mass  of  apparent  rubbish,  and  so 
along  the  river  to  the  island  and  Notre  Dame.  Crossing  by  two 
bridges  they  were  again  back  on  the  upper  side ;  passed  the  Hotel 
de  Ville,  the  Tower  St.  Jacques  and  the  Louvre,  with  whose  facade 
they  were  now  very  familiar,  but  whose  inside  treasures  were  post- 
poned for  the  present.  This  was  only  a  sort  of  preliminary  trip,  "to 
get  used  to  the  outside  of  the  places,"  Philip  said.  They  did  go, 
however,  to  see  the  tomb  of  Napoleon,  under  the  dome  of  the  Invalides, 


AT   THE    BOOK-STALLS. 


and  all  of  them,  even  Mr.  Horner,  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  Tower 
St.  Jacques. 

"Three  hundred  and  ten  steps,  mamma!"  cried  Tommy,  "and 
you  must  go  up  there." 

"You  really  must  though,  mamma,"  urged  Bessie,  "for  it  is  lovely 


IIOTKL    !>!•>    IN  VAI.IKKS. 


101 


A  VISIT* 


103 


up  there.  You  can  see  everything,  —  the  river  and  the  streets,  —  it  is 
just  like  a  map  ;  and  off  into  the  distance  the  sky  and  the  sunset 
are  splendid." 

At  dinner  the}-  were  all  talking,  more  than  listening ;  but  every  one 
laughed  when  Philip  was  heard  to  say  :  "  All  the  places  in  Paris  seem 
to  be  scenes  of  bloodshed,  and  monuments  put  up  by  one  man  and 
pulled  down  by  another.  I  could  be  a  guide  to  Paris  now.  All  you 
have  to  do  at  each  place  is  to  say: 


PO.VT   NETJF. 


"This  was  founded  by  Louis  XIV.,  and  destroyed  in  the  "Revolution, 
rivers  of  blood,  &c. ;  Napoleon  I.  restored  it;  Louis  Philippe  took 
down  everything  Napoleon  put  up.  Then  Louis  Napoleon  made  an 
entirely  new  city  of  it,  and  put  N  on  everything,  and  then  the 
Communists  destroyed  all,  and   there  were  more  rivers  of  blood." 

"That  is  not  a  had  account  of  it,  Philip,"  said  Mr.  Horner  gravely, 
"but  you  must  not  get  in  the  habit  of  thinking  lightly  of  these  rivers 
of  blood,  although  you  hear  so  much  of  them  at  every  turn.  When 
M.    Tabbe    conies    this    evening,    who    stayed    iu    Paris   all    through    the 


104 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


siege  and  insurrection,  he  will  tell  you  that  it  was  no  laughing  matter 

to  witness  those  scenes." 

"  It  is  a  pity  that  the   French  have   such   a  passion   for  destroying 

their  own  monu- 
ments," said 
Mr.  Hervey. 
"  When  I  re- 
member how 
magnificent  the 
Tuilleries,  the 
Hotel  de  Ville 
and  other  build- 
ings were  in 
1867,  at  the  time 
of  the  great  Ex- 
position, when 
Louis  Napoleon 
was  at  the  height 
of  his  gloiy,  and 
then  see,  as  we 
do  now,  the 
workmen  still 
busy  restoring 
the  ravages,  of 
the  Commun- 
ists, I  wonder 
how  long  it  will 
be  before  all  is  to 
do  over  again." 
"The    French    are    now    building  on    firm    foundations,"    said    Mr. 

Horner.     "  I  have  a  good  deal  of  faith  in  their  new  republic." 

"  But  only  think,"   said  Mary,  who  had   left  the  table  over  which 

the    others    lingered    with   nuts    and    grapes,  turning   over    the    leaves 

of  her .  Baedeker,    "how   many   times   the   Place  de  la  Concorde   has 

changed  its  name  : 


KAI'OLEOX  S    TOMB. 


A  VISIT. 


Place   Louis  Quinze, 
Place  de   la   Revolu- 
tion, 

Place  Louis  Seize, 
Place     de      la     Con- 
cord e. 

"And  all  the  differ- 
ent statues  that  have 
been  up  and  down  in 
the  middle  of  it,'*  said 
Bessie,  looking  over 
her  sister's  shoulder. 

"  Now  that  they  have 
this     good,    inoffensive 


iu5 


lOWJ&U   ST.    JACQUES. 


106 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


obelisk   there,  it  may  be  left    unmolested,  I  hope,"  said   Mrs.   Horner. 

"  But,  mamma,  they  have  had  a  fight  there  since,  in  the  Communists' 
times,  but  '  notwithstanding  the  violence  of  the  conflict,  the  obelisk 
fortunately  escaped  injury.'  ' 

It  was  late;  Mr.  Hervey  said  good-night,  and  all  retired  to  sleep 
soundly. 


STEAM   TKAMWAY, 


VERSAILLES.  107 


CHAPTER   XI. 


VERSAILLES. 


AS  the  weeks  went  on,  the  elder  Homers  were  pleased  to  find 
that  without  a  system  of  study  too  rigid,  the  children  were 
beginning  to  learn  something  more  definite  about  the  history  of  the 
country  they  were  in,  than  they  had  ever  acquired  from  the  books 
they  had  read.  Paris  itself  is  a  record  of  the  alternating  periods  of 
splendor  and  ruin,  of  which  France  has  been  the  scene ;  and  in  the 
blank  spaces  left  by  monuments  destroyed,  as  well  as  in  those  that 
remain,  may  be  read  the  changes   that  have  swept  over  her. 

In  but  little  more  than  tAvo  centuries  has  France,  and  especially 
Paris,  gone  through  so  many  reverses,  and  been  the  scene  of  so  many 
triumphs  and  so  much  suffering.  In  1643,  Louis  XIV.  began  to  reio-n, 
and  in  1875  the  Republican  constitution  was  finally  adjusted,  —  if  any 
importance  may  be  attached  to  this  word.  In  the  meantime  the 
English  people  have  quietly,  and,  with  but  little  bloodshed,  dispossessed 
their  Stuarts,  and  established  the  House  of  Hanover  upon  the  throne; 
and  in  the  meantime,  the  United  States  has  been  born  and  grown 
up  to  be  a  lusty  and  self-asserting  member  of  the  company  of  nations. 

It  was  now  the  last  week  in  October,  but  the  weather  continued 
soft  and  lovely,  and  the  Homers  availed  themselves  of  it  for  excursions 
out  of  Paris,  knowing  well  that  in  November  such  trips  would  lose 
their  charm.  One  of  the  pleasantest  of  these  expeditions  was  the 
day  they  spent  in  Versailles,  which  they  reached  by  the  tramway, 
thus  getting  their  first  experience  of  a  French  steam-horse-car,  and 
coming  home  by  the   way  of  St.  Germain,   and   the   ordinary  railway. 

The  children,  on  arriving,  were  surprised  t<>  hud  themselves  in  a 
town   to   all   intents   and    purposes  as   eloselv   built    as   Paris. 


10S  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

"  I  thought  Versailles  was  a  palace !  "  exclaimed  Tommy,  who,  as 
may  well  be  supposed,  did  not  trouble  himself  with  guide-books  and 
histories.  He  lived  for  the  pleasure  of  the  moment,  and  although 
he  picked  up  a  great  deal  of  information,  it  was  less  from  study 
than  observation.  His  quick  eye  and  sharp  little  mind  helped  him 
to  a  great  many  discoveries  passed  over  by  his  elders. 

Versailles  is  indebted  for  its  magnificence  to  Louis  XIV.  It  was 
called  by  Voltaire  Vabime  des  depemes,  because  its  palace  and  park 
cost  the  royal  treasury  a  thousand  million  francs,  and  to  keep  it  up 
required  every  year  an  immense  sum.  The  palace  was  the  head- 
quarters of  his  court,  and  is  intimately  connected  with  the  history 
of  the  period.  It  witnessed  the  zenith  and  the  decline  of  the  prosperity 
of  Louis  XIV,  as  well  as  the  life  of  his  successor,  Louis  XV.  The 
unfortunate  Louis  XVI.  saw  the  palace  sacked  by  a  Parisian  mob, 
and  since  then  it  has  been  uninhabited.  During  the  revolution  it 
narrowly  escaped  being  sold ;  Napoleon  neglected  it,  and  the  Bourbons 
in  their  restoration  merely  prevented  it  from  falling  to  decay.  Louis 
Philippe  at  length  restored  the  building,  and  converted  part  of  it 
into  an  historical  picture  gallery. 

At  Versailles  on  the  18th  of  January,  1871,  the  Prussian  monarch, 
with  the  consent  of  the  German  States,  was  first  saluted  as  Emperor 
of  Germany.  Since  the  departure  of  the  German  troops,  in  the 
following    March,  it    has  been    the    French    seat    of   government. 

As  this  was  the  first  palace  they  had  visited,  the  Homers  felt 
obliged  to  "  do  it "  pretty  thoroughly ,  and  they  therefore  went  through 
all  the  rooms  which  are  now  open  to  the  public;  many  of  them, 
being  occupied  by  the  government,  are  not  to  be  seen.  It  is  no 
small  amount  of  walking  which  is  entailed  by  this,  and  by  the  time 
they  had  been  over  all  the  parquetted  floors,  and  up  and  down  the 
stairways  leading  from  one  suite  of  apartments  to  another,  they  were 
all  thoroughly  tired  in  spite  of  the  interesting  things  they  had  seen; 
among  others,  the  celebrated  Salle  de.Voeil  de  Boeuf,  so  called  from 
its  oval  window,  and  the  bedchamber  of  Louis  XIV,  with  its  furniture 
now  nearly  the  same  as  in  his  time.  Miss  Lejeune,  who  had  been 
lately    reading    the    memoirs    of    St.    Simon,    gave    them    an    amusing 


VERSAILLES. 


109 


f^sm^'Mf  M%^y:}^i  ■&&w&$^i 


e      "-      si  I   w 


iH   \  b e^o  f^'  8R1 ^p^^if ; ^& 


'* A  UV€ 


account  of  the  daily  habits  of  the  great  king.  When  he  got  up  in 
the  morning,  ever  so  many  peopJe,  valets,  chamberlains  and  physicians 
were  always  present.  The  chief  gentleman  gave  him  his  dressing- 
gown,  everybody  came  ill  time  to  find  the  king  putting  on  his  shoes 
and  stockings,  which  he  did  himself,  "  with  address  and  grace."     Every 


HO  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

other  day  they  saw  him  shave  himself,  and  he  had  a  little  short 
wig  in  which  lie  always  appeared,  even  in  bed.  As  soon  as  he  was 
dressed  he  kneeled  for  prayers  at  the  side  of  his  bed,  when  all  the 
others  knelt  also,  and  the  captain  of  the  guards  came  to  the  balustrade 
during  the  prayer,  after  which  the  king  passed  into  his  cabinet. 

As  for  the  picture-gallery,  it  received  very  various  consideration 
from  the  different  members  of  the  party.  The  children  studied  with 
interest  the  sixty-seven  portraits  of  French  monarchs,  from  old  Clovis 
to  Napoleon  III.,  and  tried  to  remember  how  many  of  them  had  their 
heads  cut  off,  and  how  many  died  in  their  beds.  The  pictures  of 
artistic  merit  by  celebrated  painters  were  those  which  most  interested 
Miss  Lejeune  ;  Mr.  Hervey,  who  cared  but  little  for  modern  pictures, 
on  account  of  his  affection  for  the  old  masters,  saw  little  worth 
looking  at.  Mr.  Horner,  everywhere,  and  anywhere,  delighted  in 
an}r  representation  of  the  deeds  of  the  first  Napoleon.  He  was  a  "  Bona- 
partiste  enrage"  by  which  is  not  meant  here  an  admirer,  for  he  con- 
sidered him  an  unscrupulous  tyrant ;  but  for  a  long  time  he  had  made  a 
specialty  of  reading  all  the  lives,  memoirs,  and  anecdotes  of  this 
celebrated  man,  and  he  never  missed  an  opportunity  of  following 
him  up. 

Philip  liked  all  the  battle  pictures,  and  Tommy  enjoyed  looking 
at  a  few  of  them,  but  he  soon  pulled  his  mother  awa}^ ;  and,  when 
the  rest  finally  found  themselves  too  tired  to  understand  what  they 
were  looking  at,  they  found  Mrs.  Horner  and  her  younger  son 
seated  on  the  terrace  behind  the  palace,  looking  out  upon  the  charming, 
though   stiff   and   formal    gardens    of   Le   NStre. 

He  was  the  most  famous  landscape  gardener  of  his  time.  His  chief 
object  seems  to  have  been  to  subject  nature  to  the  laws  of  symmetry, 
and  to  practice  geometry  and  architecture  upon  lawns,  trees,  and  ponds. 
But  the  quaint,  solemn,  old-fashioned  look  of  the  grounds  is  in  har- 
mony with  the  architecture  of  the  palace,  and  is  a  good  example 
of    the    notions  of  art    which    prevailed*  in    the    time    of   Louis    XIV. 

Our  party  assembled  to  rest  and  chat  on  one  of  the  benches  near 
the  tapis  vert,  —  a  long  lawn  below  the  wide  steps  leading  from  the 
palace.     It   is    very   pretty,    and    on    this    lovely,    warm    October    day 


VERSAILLES. 


ill 


was  full  of  charm.     The   leaves  were  already  falling ;  dried  ones  were 

floating  about,  and  dropping  on  the  green  grass. 

"What  a   pretty  name,'"    said    Mary,  repeating    it;    "tapis  vert]" 
"  You  would  not  think  '  green  carpet '  such  a  very  romantic  name," 

said    Philip,  who    was   lying   flat    upon    it,  with    his   heels  in   the   air, 

having  noted  the  absence  for  the  moment  of  every  form  of  policeman. 


' 


iigp*§f^ 


iS^rni-;--- 


GAKDEN    LAID   OUT   BY    LE   NOTKE 


"No,  that's  it,"  said  Mary;  "the  French  language  makes  everything 
pretty,  just  as  all  their  things  are  pretty.  I  think  they  are  a  pretty 
people." 

"  A  very  pretty  people,  I  should  say  they  were,"  rejoined  Phil, 
"to  take  so  much  pleasure  in   destroying  all  their  own  monuments." 

Miss  Lejeune  was  very  desirous  to  drive  to  Marly  and  St.  Germain, 
after  the  manner  so  often  described  by  her  beloved  St.  Simon  as  the 
frequent    excursion    of   Louis    XIV.   and    his    court.     As   Mrs.  Horner 


112 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


was  tired,  she  decided  not  to  attempt  tins;  and  after  their  hearty 
and  well-earned  lunch  at  a  restaurant  outside  the  palace  grounds,  she  went 
back  to  Paris  by  rail  with  Tommy,  while  the  rest  joined  Miss  Augusta. 
They  were  glad  they  did  so,  for  the  drive  having  rested,  and  the  lunch 
refreshed  them,  they  were  able  to  see  all  they  cared  to  of  St.  Germain, 
its  chateau  and   town,  and   to  stroll  in   the  beautiful    forest.     It  was 


CHATEAU   OF    ST.    GEliMAIX. 


here  that  James  II.  of  England,  exiled  from  his  country,  lived  for 
twelve  years  and  died,  while  Louis  XIV.,  who  was  born  here,  was 
building  and  improving  Versailles.  Louis  grew  tired  of  the  cost 
and  bustle  of  Versailles,  however,  and,  persuading  himself  that  he 
should  liko  something  quiet  and  solitary,  he  hit  upon  Marly,  between 
the  two  places;  and  beginning  with  the  idea  of  having  no  expense 
whatever,    he   spent   more    money   upon    it    than    even   at    Versailles, 


VERSAILLES. 


118 


ROBERT  DE   COTTE,    AKCH1TKCT   OF    LOUIS    XIV. 

chiefly  in  clumsy  great  machines  to  bring  water  to  the  latter  place. 
Building  and  changing  his  plans,  were  the  great  delight  of  this  funny  old 
King  Louis  XIV„;  to  put  up  and  pull  down,  to  arrange  and  then  alter,  was 


' the  chief  of  his  diet, 

a**!  yet  this  old  monarch  could  never  be  quie 


114 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


The  Homers  talked  unci  read  so  much  about  him,  that  lie  grew 
to  be  an  intimate  friend.  His  portraits  at  Versailles  and  at  the 
Louvre  made  him  familiar  to  them.  It  is  said  that  he  invented 
high  heels,  to  make  himself  look  tall  and  dignified,  but  he  must  have 
been  really  fine-looking  ;  and,  when  he  was  "  got  up  "  in  his  flowing 
wig,  velvets,  embroideries,  and  laces,  was,  doubtless,  an  imposing  figure. 
.He  was  a  wonderful  man  ;  for  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  his  water- 
works and  his  carp-basins  were  not  the  only  things  which  occupied 
his  mind.  Great  wars,  and  great  victories,  too,  throughout  his  reign, 
were  due  to  his  determination  and  energy.  The  contest  with  England 
and  her  allies,  which  lasted  so  long,  and  in  which  the  victory  was 
often  on  the  side  of  France,  in  spite  of  the  triumphs  of  Marlborough 
and   Prince    Eugene,  who  fought  against    Louis,  was  owing,  as  much 


STATE   EQUIPAGE. 


as  to  any  other  cause,  to  the  persistent  friendship  of  Louis  to  the 
exiled  Stuarts.  When  a  battle  was  talcing  place  near  at  hand, 
he  would  get  into  his  immense  old-fashioned  coach,  with  half  a  dozen 
ladies,  and  drive  out  to   see  how  the  fightine   was   eroing   on.     In  the 


VERSAILLES. 


115 


coach,  during  these  journeys,  there  were  always  all  sorts  of  things  to 
eat,  such  as  meat,  pastry,  and  fruit,  and  the  king  was  always  urging 
his  companions  to  eat,  although  he  did  not  himself. 

The  Homers  saw  some  huge  coaches  at  the  Little  Trianon,  which 
is  a  part  of  Versailles,  and  amused  themselves  with  fancying  the 
royal  party  seated  in  one  of  them,  and  having  to  eat  when  they 
were  not  hungry,  because  the  king   wished  them  to. 

Louis  employed  many  architects,  one  of  whom  was  Robert  de  Cotte, 
of  whom  Rigaud,  a  portrait-painter  of  the  time,  made  a  fine  picture, 
which  gives  a   good   idea   of   the    costume  of   the  time. 

Louis  XIV.  reigned  from  1643  to  1715. 


VOTKK    DAME. 


116  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
tommy's  lark. 

WHILE  the  others  were  thus  following  the  fortunes  and  reviewing 
the  character  of  le  grand  monarche,  Mrs.  Horner  and  Tommy 
were  not  without  their  little  adventure. 

In  their  compartment  of  the  train  going  back  to  Paris,  who  should 
they  find  but  Mr.  Stuyvesant,  who  had  been  to  Versailles,  not  as 
a  pleasure-trip,  but  on  a  matter  of  business.  He  was  what  the  children 
called  a  very  jolly  man ;  very  different  from  his  familj-,  they  thought. 
He  now  proposed  to  Mrs.  Horner  the  plan  of  stopping  at  SeVres, 
in  order  to  walk  across  the  pretty  park  of  St.  Cloud,  and  there  to 
take  a  steamboat  back  to  Paris,  on  the  river.  Tommy's  eyes  sparkled ; 
his  lunch  had  restored  the  natural  activity  which  had  been  taken 
out  of  him  by  the  long  walk  through  the  galleries  at  Versailles,  and 
he  was  rather  gloomy  at  the  thought  of  settling  down  to  pass  the  after- 
noon in  the  Hotel  du  Rhin.    But  Mrs.  Horner  was  really  tired ;  so  she  said: 

"  I  think,  if  you  don't  mind  taking  Tommy,  I  will  go  home  alone. 
Mr.  Horner  has  given  us  such  careful  directions  I  am  not  afraid ;  it 
is  only  to  take  a  cab  at  the  station." 

At  this  moment  the  train  whizzed  up  to  the  Sevres  station  ;  there 
was  no  time  to  discuss  the  matter,  and  Mr.  Stuyvesant  and  Tommy 
jumped  out.  Just  then,  a  gentleman  was  springing  into  the  compart- 
ment they  were  leaving,  who  bowed  to  Mr.  Stuyvesant. 

"  Ah,  Monsieur !  allow  me  to  recommend  to  you  my  friend,  Mrs. 
Horner,  une  Americaine  who  goes  quite  unattended   to   Paris." 

The  door  banged,  the  train  swept  off,  leaving  Mrs.  Horner  a  little 
embarrassed  at  finding  herself  alone  with  a  strange  Frenchman,  whose 
name,  even,  she   had   been    unable   to   catch. 


TOMMY"  3  LARK.  117 

She  was  a  good  deal  chaffed  about  this  adventure  by  her  family 
afterwards.  The  gentleman,  M.  Rohan-Conde\  proved  very  polite, 
and,  although  he  did  not  speak  a  word  of  English,  succeeded  in 
understanding  her  French,  though  Philip  was  in  the  habit  of  describing 
it  as  only  rudimentary.  He  pointed  out  to  her  the  many  objects  of 
interest  on  the  route,  and,  on  their  arrival  in  Paris,  not  only  found 
a  cab,  but  insisted  on  driving  with  her  to  the  door  of  the  hotel, 
where  he  left  her  raising  his  hat  with  the  most  elegant  of  bows, 
and  the  most  fervent  expressions  of  gratitude  for  being  allowed 
to  protect  her. 

Mrs.  Horner  shut  herself  up  in  her  room  for  a  nap,  rejoicing  in 
the  exceeding  quiet  of  the  empty  apartment.  Just  in  time  for  dinner, 
the  others  arrived,  tired,  but  in  the  best  of  spirits,  Mr.  Hervey  with 
them ;  but  where  was  Tommy  ?  Dinner  was  served,  and  yet  he  did 
not  come.  Mrs.  Horner  now  reproached  herself  seriously  for  losing  sight 
of  him.  The  gentlemen  urged  her  not  to  worry,  and  constantly 
repeated  their  assurance  that  all  was  right ;  but  a  little  feeling  of 
doubt  hung  over  the  part}r,  till  between  eight  and  nine,  when  the 
door  flew  open  with  a  bang,  and  Master  Tommy  appeared  alone,  in 
a  state  of  noisy  triumph  after  his  expedition. 

"Well!"  cried  the  girls;  "where  did  you  come  from?"' 

"Where  is  Mr.   Stuyvesant?"   asked  the  father  of  the  family. 

"  He  just  left  me  at  the  door,"  replied  Tommy  ;  adding  with  an 
air  of  great  consequence,  "  we  have  been  dining  at  Vefour's." 

Everyone  shouted.  Vefour's  is  a  luxurious  restaurant  in  the  Palais 
Royal. 

Mrs.  Horner  wanted  to  embrace  her  prodigal  little  son,  but  he 
broke  from  her,  so  full  was  he  of  his  adventures. 

"And  it  is  splendid  in  the  evening,  all  sparkling  and  glittering  with 
shops,  and  diamonds,  and  jewelry.  See  what  Mr.  Stuyvesant  bought 
me." 

It  was  a  ridiculous  little  cane,  with  a  gilt  top,  like  those  carried 
by  gentlemen,   but  adapted    to   Tommy's   size. 

"  You  are  not  hungry  then,  I  suppose  ? "  asked  the  still  anxious 
mamma. 


118 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


"  No,  but  I  do  not  mind  a  few  more  nuts,"  replied  Tommy,  trans- 
ferring a  handful  of  almonds  to  his  pocket. 

"  You  see,"  he  explained,  "  we  did  not  stop  at  Sevres,  but  walked 
right  along  through  the  Park  of  St.  Cloud  to  the  top  of  a  place 
where  there  is  a  splendid  view.  Mr.  Stuyvesant  bought  us  some 
gaufres ;  they  are  a  superior  kind  of  waffle.  You  can  see  Paris,  and 
the  Arch  of  Triumph,  and  the  Invalides,  and  the  river,  all  covered 
with   boats   and  business.     It   was   hot  there,  in  the   sun.     Y"ou  onsdit 


AT   ST.    CLOUD. 


to  have  seen  a  man  who  wanted   to  sit  clown  on  a  bench  that  had 
just  been  painted. 

"  I  was  afraid  we  should  have  to  go  all  over  another  palace,  for 
my  legs  ached  still,  from  Versailles ;  but  luckily  it  is  all  pulled  down, 
so  we  did  not  have  to  do  that,  only  look  at  the  views ;  and  then  we 
went  down  to  the  quai,  and  luckily  there  was  a  steamboat,  for  they 
have  stopped  running,  only  this  is  some  kind  of  a  feast-day  ;  and  so 
it  came  along,  and  it  is  the  greatest  thing  we  have  done  yet,  to 
see  all  the  people  jabbering  French  on  board,  and  the  little  tugs  and 
things  snorting  about  on  the  river.  Then  going  under  the  bridges! 
And  I  saw  a  great  many  principal  buildings  on  the  banks,  which 
Mr.  Stuysevant  explained  to  me." 


TOMMY  a  juARK.  119 

"  Stuyvesant,"  corrected  Philip. 

"Well,  Stuysevant,"  repeated  Tommy.  "Well,  when  we  got  to 
the  place  to  land,  it  was  after  six,  and  we  thought  it  was  better  to  take 
our  dinner  at  Vefour's,  before  coming  on  up  here  " 

"You  should  have  told  Mr.  Stuyvesant  that  your  mamma  would 
be  worried,"  said  Mr.  Horner,  in  mild  reproof. 

'•I  (lid,  papa,  I  did,  really;  but  to  be  sure  I  did  not  think  of  it 
till  we  got  to  the  ice-cream.'  Then  he  said  that  he  had  been  thinking 
of  that,  but  he  hoped  we  should  not  be  very  late,  and  that  }'Ou  would 
excuse  us,  just  this  once.'' 

"Well,  go  now  to  bed,  for  it  is  long  past  your  bed-time,"  said  his 
mother.  "  You  will  want  to  be  well  rested  before  to-morrow,  for  we  are 
thinking  of  making  an  early  start  for  the  Louvre." 

"What!  another  palace,   so  soon?"  groaned  Tommy. 

They  shut  the  door  upon  him,  and  he  scrambled  off  up  the  stairs 
to  his   bedroom  au   cinquieme. 

St.  Cloud  is  named  after  St.  Chlodoald,  the  grandson  of  Clovis, 
who  founded  a  monastery  there.  It  is  just  near  enough  to  Paris  to 
have  been  the  scene  of  many  a  battle  in  the  mediaeval  contests.  Henri 
III.,  when  besieging  Paris  in  1589,  pitched  his  camp  at  St.  Cloud, 
and  was  assassinated  there  by  Jacques  Clement.  The  palace,  now 
a  ruin,  was  built  by  a  wealthy  citizen  in  1572.  It  was  bought  and 
rebuilt  by  Louis  XIV.,  who  presented  it  to  his  brother,  the  Duke  of 
Orleans.  In  1782,  it  was  purchased  by  Louis  XVI.,  for  Marie 
Antoinette. 

It  was  a  favorite  resort  of  the  first  Napoleon,  and  afterwards  became 
the  principal  summer  residence  of  Napoleon  III. 

In  October,  1870,  the  chateau,  the  barracks  near  it,  and  many  of 
the  houses  in  the  town,  were  completely  burned  down  No  town  in  the 
environs  of  Paris  suffered  so  severely  in  the  Prussian  war,  or  presented 
so  melancholy  an  appearance  after  it.  For  two  years  or  more,  the 
streets  were,  a  chaotic  mass  of  ruins;  but  many  of  them  have  since 
been    rebuilt,    though   the    chateau    lias  not  been   yet   restored. 

The  attraction  of  the  place:  is,  therefore,  the  park,  laid  out  by 
Le  Notre,  in   the   same   stiff   fashion    as  Versailles,   and    the    beautiful 


120 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


view  of  the  river  and  the  city  beyond,  which  Tommy  enjoyed  while 
he  was  eating  his  cakes. 

After    this,    Mr.    Stuyvesant    and    Tommy    became    very   intimate. 
When   Mr.   Horner  had  convinced  himself  that  his  old  friend  really 


OUTSIDE    THE     PALAIS    BOURBON. 


liked  the  boy,  and  did  not  suffer  himself  to  be  imposed  upon  by  him, 
he  was  only  too  glad  to  lend  Tommy  for  excursions  about  Paris; 
and  thus  he  came  to  see  things  which  the  others  missed,  and  of  which 
he  afterward  boasted  to  the  end  of  time. 


TOMMYS  LARK 


121 


He  was  with  Mr.  Stuyvesant  one  day  in  the  beginning  of  November, 
when  the  members  of  the  legislative  assembly  were  gathering  at  the 
Palais  Bourbon  ;  and  Mr.  Stuyvesant  pointed  out  to  him  M.  Gambetta, 
now  the  leading  man  in  French  politics,  toward  whom  the  world  was 
then  looking  in  wo*ader  whether    he  would  favor  a   time   of  tranquil 


M.    GAMBKTTA. 


republicanism   for  France,  or  if  lie  might  be  plotting  a  coup   d'etat. 

He  took  him  to  the  Bourse,  in  the  very  height  of  its  business-hour; 
and  here  he  saw  from  the  gallery  the  corbeille,  as  it  is  called,  where 
brokers  of  the  stock  exchange  were  gathered  in  an  immense  crowd. 
The  noise,  the   bawling,  and   excited  gestures  of  the   speculators  were 


122 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


wonderful  to  Tommy,  although  it  was  almost  frightening  ;  the  only 
intelligible  words  amidst  the  din  were :  "je  donne !  je  prends !  je 
vends  !  " 

The  others  saw  the  busy  scene  from  the  outside ;  but  it  was  only 
Tommy,  who  penetrated,  with  his  experienced  guide,  to  the  very 
heart  of  it- 


i  1 


#^  ^ 


M. 


JMm 


Jnfiu'  U-J*Jijari£  - 


OUTSIDE  OF   THE   BOURSE. 


THE  LOUVRE. 


123 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE    LOUVRE. 


IT  was  not  according  to  the  Homers'  system  to  do  up  the  Louvre  as 
many  tourists  are  obliged  to,  in  one  long,  fatiguing  tour  of  in- 
spection. Their  day  at  Versailles  would  have  taught  them  how 
unsatisfactory  this  sort  of  sight-seeing  is,  if  they  had  not  known  it 
before.  Staying,  as  they  did,  more  than  a  month  in  Paris,  they  had 
plenty  of  time  to  go  again  and  again  to  the  palace,  and  as  their  hotel 
was  not  far  from  it, 
they  rather  often 
made  the  Louvre 
their  place  of  meet- 
ing. 

In  general,  walking- 
through  any  museum, 
without  a  special  ob- 
ject, is  the  most  tire- 
some thing  in  the 
world ,  tiresome  to 
eyes,  brain,  and  legs. 
The  intelligence  soon 
refuses  to    take    any 

note  of  the  objects  seen,  and  the  process  becomes  a  mechanical  advance 
from  corridor  to  gallery.  Practiced  travellers  acquire  a  knack  of  passing 
rapidly  through  a  collection  of  pictures,  or  of  curiosities,  and  with  a  cata- 
logue and  a  few  well-thrown  glances,  they  manage  to  pick  up  a  vague  idea 
of  the  things  shown  ;  but  to  do  this,  some  previous  knowledge  of 
their  nature  is  necessary. 

Mr.  Horner  was  careful   to  induce  the  children  to  have  some  special 
object  of   interest   each    time   they    went    to   the    Louvre.     Their  plat1 


LOUVRE. 


124 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


PICTURE   IN   THE   LOUVRE. 


was,  to  stud)'-  thoroughly  one  part  of  it  at  once,  and  no   other ;    not  to 
stay   very  long,   above  all,  not  long  enough  to  get  tired  and   hungry. 


THE  LOUVRE. 


125 


In  this  way,  they  never  came  to  consider  the  Louvre  such  a  bore  as 
Miss  Stuyvesant  had  described  it  to  Mary  on  her  first  visit,  though 
Tommy's  countenance  sometimes  fell,  when  he  found  the  Louvre 
was  made  the  programme  for  the  day. 

Thus  the  pictures,  the  statues,  the  Egyptian  collection,  etc.,  were 
all  taken  separately  at  different  times,  and  recurred  to  afterwards, 
according  to  the  inclination  of  different  members  of  the  family. 
The  Egyptian  antiquities  were  very  attractive  to  every  one  of  the 
party,  and  if  they  spent  less  time  there  than  they  would  have  liked, 
it  was  because  other  things  seemed  more  pressing,  and  thev  all 
combined  to  form  a  plan,  or  a  vision,  rather  than  a  plan,  of  going 
up  the  Nile  sometime,  to  see  for  themselves  the  Ramses  family  at 
home. 

Miss  Lejeune  had  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  history  of  art,  and  of 
the  merits  of  pictures  ancient  and  modern.  She  thought  Mary  was  old 
enough  to  be  interested  in  the  fascinating  subject,  and,  indeed,  at 
school  the  year  before,  Mary  had  been  pretty  well  grounded  in  the 
early  schools  of  art,  by  a  course  of  lectures  illustrated  hy  photographs 
of  the  pictures  of  the  oldest  masters.  She  had  with  her  the  little 
note-book  she  had  made  containing  dates  of  the  lives  of  the  Bellinis, 
Carpaccio,  and  others  of  the  early  Venetian  school,  to  which  the 
lectures  had  been  chiefly  devoted ;  and  she  was  now  interested  in 
finding  all  the  examples  of  their  work  she  could,  to  see  whether  she 
could  recognize  them  by  her  recollection  of  the  photographs.  This 
excellent  preparation  made  her  enjoy  many  old  pictures  which  Bessie 
did  not  hesitate  to  declare  horrid  old  things.  Mary  and  Miss  Lejeune 
got  but  little  sympathy  for  their  preraphaelite  tendencies,  and  therefore 
went  by  themselves,  whenever  they  made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  shrine 
of  ancient  art. 

It  is  a  study  which  grows  with  exercise.  Mary  soon  began  to  wish 
that  the  gallery  of  the  Louvre  contained  more  old  pictures,  and  to 
hope  that  their  tour  would  take  them  to  towns  where  these  are  to  be 
seen  at  their  best.  Miss  Lejeune  told  her  that  at  Berlin,  and  Dresden, 
and  also  at  London,  on  their  way  home,  they  should  have  a  chance 
to  see   some  of  the  most  celebrated  works  of  the  old  masters;  though 


126 


A  FAMILY   FLIGHT. 


Florence,  Venice,  and  Rome,  where  the  best  are,  must  be  left  for 
another  trip,  and  Spain  also.  There  are  enough  examples  of  the 
works  of  the  most  celebrated  masters  of  art  at  the  Louvre,  to  satisfy  a 
beginner,  at  least.  Miss  Lejeune  was  delighted  to  find  that  Mary 
was  willing  really  to  study  these  pictures,  and  to  compare  the  character- 
istics of  different  artists.  To  her  own  surprise,  Mary  found  she  was 
soon  able  to  recognize  a  Fra  Angelico,  or  a  Bellini,  and  guess  pretty 
nearly,  if  not  always  right,  the  school  of  painting  to  which  a  picture 
belonged.  The  early  Venetian  pictures,  for  instance,  she  came  to 
know  by  their  rich  coloring,  as  well  as  by  the  grave  simplicity  of  the 
subjects.  A  Raphael  she  could  soon  recognize  at  the  firs.t  glance. 
As  for  Peter  Paul  Reuben,  as  Philip  disrespectfully  called  him,  they 
all  soon  became  familiar  with  his  positive  reds,  blues,  and  yellows ; 
his  blowzy  Marie  de  Medicis,  surrounded  by  fat  angels.  The  girls 
found   them    delightful    to    follow,  in    connection    with   the    history  of 


PALACE   OF   THE   LUXEMBOURG. 


this  poor  queen,  driven  out  of  her  country  by  a  managing  cardinal, 
just  when  she  had  made  her  palace,  the  Luxembourg,  luxurious  to 
live   in. 


THE  LOUYRE.  129 

There  are  twenty-one  large  pictures  of  scenes  from  her  life,  ordered 
by  her  from  Rubens.  He  made  the  original  sketches  for  them  which 
are  now  at  Munich;  for  the  Louvre  pictures  are  chiefly  the  work  of 
his  pupils,  executed  under  his  direction.  The  mixture  of  history 
and  allegory  in  them  seems  absurd,  and  Rubens'  ideal  of  feminine 
beauty  is  too  fat  and  florid  to  please  all;  but  the  series  serves  to  show 
the  events  of  the  life  of  their  heroine  in  an  entertaining  manner. 
Seeing  Henry  IV.  in  the  character  of  Jupiter,  and  Mary  de  Medicis 
in  that  of  Juno,  larger  than  life  and  twice  as  blooming,  made  them 
remember  better  than  learning  it  in  a  chronological  table,  that  Henry 
IV.  and   Mary  de   Medicis  were  husband  and  wife. 

Miss  Lejeune  begged  Mary  to  reserve  her  judgment  of  Rubens  as 
a  great  master  till  she  should  see  his  finest  work  at  Antwerp  ;  and 
meanwhile,  to  think  of  him  not  only  as  a  painter  of  stout  women,  but 
a  great  traveller  and  accomplished  gentleman,  and  a  good  friend  to 
the  exiled  queen,   who  finally  died  at  his  house  in  Cologne. 

The  pictures  of  their  friend,  Louis  XIV.,  and  of  the  people  of  his 
time,  they  sought  out  upon  the  walls,  wherever  they  could  find  them, 
by  Rubens,  by  Rigaud,  and  by  Vandyck,  whose  portraits  are  unrivalled 
in  the  world. 

On  the  whole,  before  they  left  Paris,  Mr.  Hervey  and  Miss  Lejeune 
were  satisfied  in  feeling  that  their  young  friends  were  beginnincr  to 
know  how  to  look  at  pictures,  which  was  all  they  hoped  for,  in  these 
early  days.  They  had  found  out  that  a  gallery  is  not  like  a  shop 
window,  where  you  may  stare,  admire,  pass  on,  if  you  like,  or  stop 
and  buy  what  you  please;  but  a  place  to  be  approached  in  reverence, 
and  with  the  acknowledgment  of  ignorance. 

"  That's  pretty  !  "  "  that's  horrid  !  "  "  I  don't  think  much  of  that  I  " 
were  the  criticisms  they  heard  one  day  in  the  Salon  Carre  of  the 
Louvre,  from  two  young  persons  with  a  strong  American  accent,  one 
of  them  nibbling  from  a  box  of  sugar-plums,  the  other  hopelessly  lost 
in  her  catalogue.  The  Salon  Cairo  contains  the  gems  of  the  collection, 
and  a  few  of  tin;  most  celebrated  pictures  in  the  world.  It  would 
be  well,  if,  instead  of  judging  at  a  glance  of  these  pictures,  as  of  a 
piece  of  cambric  on  a  counter,  these  young  women  had  tried   to  think 


130 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


LANDSCAPE   IN  THE    LOUVRE. 

why  they  were  world-renowned,  and  to  weigh  the  importance  of  the 
judgment  of  several  centuries  against  their  own  flippant  taste.  This 
would  have  helped  them  to  an  interest  in  the  pictures  and  subjects, 
and  perhaps  after  they  had  looked  a  little  into  the  intention  of  the 
artists,  their  methods,  their  lives,  and  the  causes  of  their  fame,  they 


THE  LOUVRE. 


131 


■would  find  their  own  opinions  modified,  and  without  affectation  would 
be  able  to  detect  beauty  and  marvellous  skill  where  they  at  first 
had  seen  but  a  daub. 

The  Homers  did  not  ask  for  their  children  a  precocious   perception 


GUIDO'S    -AIN'T   SEBASTIAN. 

of    the    excellence    of    good    pictures.     They    wished    them    to    know, 
however,  what  is  a  really  correct  standard  of  taste  in  these  matters, 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


BY   ALMA   TADEMA. 

and    to  feel    that  if    they   differed    from  this,   it  was  a  defect  in  their 
judgment,  and  not  the  blunder  of  the  world's  verdict. 

They  all  found  pictures  which  they  liked,  not  on  account  of  being 
marked  with  a  star  in  Baedeker,  or  attached  to  a  famous  name  ;  such 
as  charming  landscapes,  the  triumph  of  the  modern  French  school, 
realistic  reproductions  of  classic  scenes,  in  which  Alma  Tadema  excels, 

and   many  others. 

To  linger  over  the 
treasures  in  the 
Louvre,  would  fill  up 
our  book,  and  take 
the  Homers  but  one 
step  on  their  year's 
trip.  Their  month 
in  Paris  was  too 
short  to  do  these 
collections  full  jus- 
m  an  omnibus.  tice>    and     especially 


THE  LOUVRE. 


133 


OLD     COURT-YARD. 


as  they  had  so  many  other  things  to  (ill  up  their  time  and  attention. 
Their  interest  in  Marie  de  Medicis,  which  the  Rubens  pictures 
had  increased,  made  the  Homers  ready  for  the  Palais  du  Luxembourg, 
and  here  they  saw  some  more  modern  pictures.  The  day  they  devoted 
to   this    gallery,  Tommy  was  rewarded   for    his  general    good   behavior 


134  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

of  late,  on  such  occasions,  by  a  long  excursion  in  an  omnibus  with 
his  father,  in  that  part  of  Paris  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Seine,  generally 
spoken  of  as  the  other  side  of  the  river,  although  it  occupies  as  much 
as  a  third  of  the  city,  and  is  full  of  objects  of  interest.  The  streets  are, 
for  the  most  part,  old  and  narrow,  sometimes  with  openings  into  quiet 
old  courts,  as  remote  and  tranquil  as  if  the  bustle  of  the  boulevards 
was  in  another  world. 

This  expedition  wound  up  with  a  visit  to  the  Jardin  des  plantes, 
where  Tommy  was  never  tired  of  watching  the  monkeys,  with  their 
friendly  cats  domesticated  among  them,  and  "Martin,"  the  bear,  who 
seemed  to  understand  French  as  well  as,  or  better,  than  he  did  him- 
self. Later  in  their  travels  Tommy  had  a  chance  to  make  acquaintance 
with  Martin's  relations. 

Another  day  Mr.  Stuyvesant,  who  took  every  chance  to  improve 
his  intimacy  with  Tommy,  gave  him  a  delightful  tour  in  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne,  and  all  about  the  Jardin  d'acclimatation,  which  is  another 
collection  of  animals  scattered  about  in  the  open  air,  with  all  their 
natural  surroundings,  as  far  as  possible. 


LAST  DAYS  LX  PARIS. 


135 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


LAST    DAYS    IX    PARIS. 


IT  would  be  in  vain  to  detail  all  the  things  our  friends,  the  Homers, 
saw  and  did  during  their  month  in  Paris.  As  the  difficulty  was 
then  to  select  what  to  see  and  what  to  neglect,  so  it  is  now  what 
to  describe  that  they  did  see,  and  what  to  omit.  At  first  the  visit 
before  them  seemed  so  long,  they  thought,  even  the  wisest  of  them, 
that  there  would  be  time  for  everything.  As  they  found  out  more 
and  more  what  was  to  be  done,  the  days  seemed  too  short,  and  their 
strength  inadequate  for  their  sight-seeing,  without  falling  into  a 
senseless,  mechanical  routine  of  going  from  one  museum    to  another, 

checking    them  off   as    they    went 
in   their  guide-books. 

They  went  several  times  to  the 
theatre,  especially  to  the  Theatre 
Francais,  although  Sara  Bernhardt 
had  already  left  that  stage,  ami 
was  probabPy,  at  that  time,  super- 
intending the  marvellous  costumes 
whit  which  she  was  to  astonish 
the  American  world.  At  first  the 
young  people  could  not  enjoy  the  play  much,  hut  as  they  became 
more  accustomed  to  using  and  hearing  French  all  the  time,  the  meaning 
of  it  all  seemed  to  open  upon  their  ears,  and  before  they  left  Paris. 
they  listened,  almost  as  to  an  English  performance,  and  could  now 
recognize  the  stately  pronunciation  and  careful  diction  which  is 
insisted  upon  at  this  classical   theatre. 

Twc  Sundays,  in   the  afternoon,   Miss  Lejeune  went  to    Pas-de-loup 


THE    I.EADEK. 


136 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


0 


concerts,  by  the  orchestra  celebrated  under  the  name  of  this  Leader. 
Mr.  Hervey  from  the  first  confessed  himself  unmusical,  but  this 
defect  was,  though  unwillingly,  condoned,  on  account  of  his  great 
excellence  in  other  particulars.  Mary  and  Bessie  both  enjo}red  music, 
without  having,  either  of  them,  talent  enough  to  cultivate  by  taking 
lessons.  The  different  churches  and  cathedrals  were  visited  in  turn, 
and  they  heard,  one  Sunday,  the  military  mass  at  the  Invalides. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.   Horner  were    not   able    to    avoid    a  few   dinners   and 

evenings  given  them 
by  their  American 
friends.  A  dinner  at 
a  boulevard  restaur- 
ant, which  genial  Mr. 
Stuyvesant  insisted 
upon  giving,  was  a 
very  gay  affair. 

Miss  Lejeune  had 
many  friends  in  Paris, 
and  was  constantly 
meeting  acquaintances 
of  former  visits  to 
Europe.  But  she  man- 
aged to  keep  with 
her  party  almost  al- 
ways. 

"You  see,  my  dear," 
she  said  one  day,  to  a 
charming  little  French 
lady  with  whom  she 
had  once  spent  a 
month  at  Nice,  "  you 
see  I  am  here  this  time 
with  a  purpose.     These  Horner  children  must  be  educated." 

"  I  see,  ma  chere"  replied   the  countess,  "  that  among  you  all,  you 
will  make   prigs  of  them.     Who  ever  heard  of  taking  our  dear  Paris 


MISS    STUYVESANT. 


LAST  DAYS  IN  PARIS. 


137 


au  iSrieux  to  such  an  extent!  Even  the  Communists  made  a  joke  of 
it,  when  they  were  knocking  down  our  best  buildings.  I  declare,  I 
felt  sorry  for  those  two  pretty  girls  you  were  drilling  in  the  Louvre 
the  other  day,  you  and  your  beau  jeune  homme. 

"  Don't  be  afraid/'  laughed  Miss  Augusta.  "  If  our  adventures 
should  be  written,  I  am  sure  there  would  not  prove  to  be  too  much 
system  in  them.  But  we  really  wish  our  young  people  to  leave 
Paris   not  without  a  few  ideas. 

"Ideas!"  exclaimed  Madame  de  Mersac,  "if  that  were  all.  I  am 
afraid,  however,  that  they  will  suffer  from  a  real  indigestion  of  facts  !  " 

"  Heaven  forbid ! "  uttered  Miss  Lejeune,  and  they  parted,  for  it 
was  in  a  shop,  and  each  had  an  engagement. 

Miss  Lejeune  would 
have  thought  the  edu- 
cation of  the  girls 
very  ill-c onducted 
without  some  practice 
in  intelligent  shop- 
ping in  Paris,  not  only 
at  the  gorgeous  maga- 
zines of  the  boule- 
vard, but  the  wonder- 
ful intricacies  of  the 
Bon  Marche,  and  the 
Printempa ;  the  latter, 
alas!  burned  down 
since  the  Homers  saw 
it;  but  doubtless,  like 
the  natural  spring,  to 
blossom  forth  again. 

The  Bon  Marche*  is 
an  immense  ware- 
house like   Macy's  in 

New  York,  "only  more  so,"  as  Philip  said.  It  is  a  little  world  in  itself, 
where    everything  buyable    may    be   found.     The  people    who    sell  are 


ON    THE    HOl'LKVAKD. 


133  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

assiduous  and  affable,  and  not  aggressive,  which  makes  shopping  easier 
than  it  is  sometimes  found  to  be   in  New  York  and  Boston. 

Mary,  who  was  left  one  day  with  Bessie  at  a  counter  trying  on 
gloves,  rejoiced  to  practice  her  sprouting  French  with  the  clerk  who 
showed  them  to  her.  She  talked  more  than  the  occasion  really 
required,  for  she  thought  she  was  getting  on  pretty  well,  and  that 
it  was  a  good  chance  to  pass  herself  off  as  a  real  Parisian. 
She  imitated,  as  well  as  she  could,  the  man's  accent,  and  reproduced  his 
terms  of  expression  in  her  own  sentences.  When  the  business  was 
over,  which  took  some  time,  for  she  and  Bessie  were  each  bu}'ing  a 
dozen  to  take  away  with  them,  the  clerk  said,  in  the  best  of  English : 

"  Shall  I  send  these  for  you  ?  You  are  staying,  I  believe,  at  the 
Hotel  du  Rhin." 

Mary  stared  at  him,  amazed  and  mortified,  and  at  the  same  time 
afraid  the  man  might  mean  an  impertinence  ,  but  he  came  from 
the  State  of  Maine,  had  been  a  clerk  at  Arnold  and  Constable's,  in 
New  York,  and  knew  her  mother  by  sight  perfectly  well.  He  had  seen 
them  all  once  or  twice  at  different  public  places  in  Paris,  and  thus, 
with  republican  familiarity,  ventured  to  scrape  acquaintance. 

Mary  took  it  good-naturedly,  but  as  Bessie  told  the  story  afterward, 
it  caused  a  general  laugh  at  the  expense  of  Mary's  French. 

Perhaps  the  pleasantest  part  of  the  Paris  period,  as  the  Homers 
looked  back  upon  it,  was  the  quiet  evenings  at  home  in  their 
salon  at  the  hotel,  when,  resisting  theatres,  concerts,  restaurants,  and 
invitations,  they  settled  down  about  their  moderateur  lamp  and  round 
table,  to  talk  over  the  events  of  the  day,  with  the  pleasant  French 
abbe,  and,  as  the  case  might  be,  Mr.  Stuyvesant,  Mr.  Hervey,  or  others 
dropping  in.  Not  a  few  agreeable  people  had  discovered  the  charm 
of  this  intelligent  little  family  circle,  and  the  only  regret  attaching 
to  it  was,  that  it  was  not  permanent  in  Paris. 

One  evening  Miss  Lejeune  was  repeating  her  little  conversation 
with  the  French  countess,  whereupon  Mr.  Horner  said  : 

"Well,  children,  come  now,  do  you  suppose  we  really  have  learned 
anything  ?  " 

"  Of   course    we    have ! "    mumbled     Tommy    very    sleepily,    from    a 


LAST  DAYS  IN  PARIS.  139 

corner  of  the  sofa  where  he  had  been  dozing,  with  his  head  jammed 
up  against  his  mother. 

"  I  think  we  have  learned,"  remarked  Mary,  "  that  there  is  a  great 
deal  to  learn.*' 

"And  I  think,"  said  Philip,  "that  we  have  found  out  how  and 
where  to  find  out  more  about  the  things  we  do  not  know." 

"  Yes,"  said  Bessie,  who  was  knitting  a  long  and  mysterious  thing, 
a  feeble  imitation  of  Miss  Augusta's  everlasting  stripe,  "  if  we  do  not 
forget  to  find  them  out  afterward." 

"I  think  it  would  be  a  good  plan  for  all  of  us,"  said  Mrs.  Horner, 
"when  we  get  to  some  quieter  place,  to  write  out  our  impressions 
of  all  the  things  we  have  seen    in  Paris." 

"  Do  you  think,  mamma,"  said  Philip,  coming  to  take  the  place 
by  her  side,  which  Tommy  had  reluctantly  left  to  go  to  bed,  "  do 
you  think  we  shall  ever  get  to  a  quieter  place,  until  we  get  home  ? 
There   will   always   be  a  museum,  or  something." 

"  Tell  me  now,  Phil,"  said  Mary,  lightly,  "  before  you  fall  asleep, 
who  was  Marie   de  Medicis  ?  " 

"  Second  wife  of  Henri  IV.,"  replied  Philip,  promptly,  "  mother 
of  Louis  XIII.,  grandmother  of  Louis  XIV. :  poor  old  queen  who 
quarreled  with  Richelieu  and  got  turned  out  of  France,  made  a  great 
deal  of   trouble,    and   died  in  the  Pays-bas." 

"  Good  for  you !  "  continued  Bessie,  "  and  Louis  XV.  was  great- 
grandson  of  Louis  XIV.,  because  the  other  heirs  to  the  throne  kept 
dying  between,  and  Louis  XIV.  would  live  forever;  and  then  by  the 
time  Louis  XVI.  came  to  the  throne,  the  money  was  all  spent,  and  the 
splendor  was  all  gone,  and  the  people  rose  up  and  guillotined  all 
the  royal  family,  and  that  was  the  end  of  the  great  house  of  Bourbon." 

"Oh  no!  you   forget  Louis   XVIII.,  and — " 

"No,"  said  Bessie,  very  positively,  "because  that  I  do  not  count. 
After  the  revolution,  comes  Bonaparte,  and  then  with  a  little  gap  of 
republics  and  trilling  kings,  Louis  Napoleon,  with  the  second  empire." 

"  You  would  do  well,  my  dear,  at  your  leisure  to  look  up  your 
gap  and  your  trilling  kings,"  remarked  Miss  Lejeune,  "  for  they 
are  really  not  without  importance." 


140  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

The  abbd,  who  understood  English  very  well,  was  laughing  at  this 
summary  fashion  by  which  his  country's  history  was  disposed  of. 

"  If  you  had  lived  through  all  that  gap,  Miss  Bessie,  you  would 
not  think  it  so  trifling." 

"  Oh,  I  did  not  mind  that,"  said  Bessie  hastily,  and  coloring,  "  only 
these  other    times    seem  more  like  landmarks  to  fix  dates  to." 

The  old  abbe*  patted  her  shoulder  lightly. 

"  You  do  very  well,  my  young  Miss,  to  have  so  any  an  idea  of  my 
monarchs." 

"Papa  is  the  man  for  Napoleon,"  cried  Philip.  "He  and  I  went 
all  over  the  Invalides,  which  the  rest  of  you  have  not  yet,  and  I  believe 
papa  has  seen  every  relic  of  him  that  can  be  found  in  Paris." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Hervey,  "  while  the  rest  have  been  otherwise  occu- 
pied, you  two  have  been  working  up  your  Bonapartes,  I  believe, 
thoroughly." 

"  After  I  got  Abbot's  history  of  him  out  of  my  head,"  said  Philip, 
"  I  could  begin  to  enjoy  his  battles  and  his  ambition.  But  that  is 
so  flattering,  full  of  accounts  of  his  magnanimity,  and  giving  crowns  to 
small  boys  —  " 

"  You  mean  taking  crowns  from  large  kings,"  said  Mary. 

"  Oh  pshaw,  Mary  !  "  exclaimed  Philip.  "  I  mean  a  lot  of  anecdotes 
about  his  clemency,  illustrated  by  cuts." 

"I  believe,"  said  Mr.  Horner,  " those  florid  histories  of  Napoleon 
which  were  written  at  first,  really  injured  his  glory  by  giving  a 
false  account  of  him.  The  more  I  read  of  him,  and  the  feats  of  his 
tremendous  will,  as  well  as  his  weak  and  mean  traits,  the  more 
remarkable  he  appears." 

It  was  now  late  in  November.  The  weather  had  been  unusually 
mild  for  Paris,  but  of  late,  the  days  were  chilly  and  raw,  so  that 
the  Homers  had  a  fire  in  their  salon.  But  the  stupid  little  French 
grate  has  no  power,  apparently,  for  giving  out  heat.  The  dull  coals 
glowed,  but  warmed  not ;  Philip  pulled  up  and  down  the  blower 
attached  to  the  fire-place  in  vain  ;  they  all  shivered,  even  when 
close  to  the  hearth.  The  very  day  after  this  last  conversation  when 
they  woke   up,  the  streets  were  white  with  snow  !     A  brisk   flurry  was 


%$ 


• siS     — - 


LAST  DAYS  IX  PABIS. 


143 


falling  on  the  fountains  and   the  obelisk  in  the  Place  tie  la  Concorde. 

It  was  a  warning  that  they  had  stayed  long  enough.  Paris  in 
winter,  in  a  hotel,  is  uncomfortable,  and  it  was  their  plan  (if  they 
had  any)  to  settle  in  Germany  for  the  short  months  of  the  year,  and 
especially,  to  spend  Christmas  in  some  essentially  German  town. 

In  a  few  days  their  establishment  was  broken  up,  their  trunks  were 
packed,  and  they  were  actually  over  the  border.  Mr.  Hervey  accom- 
panied them  to  the  station  and  saw  them  finally  off,  promising, 
however,  to  meet  them  somewhere  soon. 

And  so  with  infinite  regret  they  were  leaving  their  dear  Paris,  and 
their  pretty  French  language,  to  become  Germans ! 


\*f% 


^ 


FltKNi'H    i: 


14*  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER   XV. 


OUT    OF   FRANCE. 


OUR  travellers  were  now  for  the  first  time  to  be  put  to  the  severe 
test  of  a  long,  unbroken  railway  journey  of  hours,  riding  night 
and  day  until  they  should  reach  Frankfort. 

There  are  evidently  two  opposite  plans  of  travelling,  which  might  be 
called  the  "  kill-yourself-but-get-there,"  and  the  "  take-it-easy  "  systems. 
If  the  first  of  these  is  adojDted,  an  imm3nse  amount  of  ground  may 
be  covered  in  a  short  time.  Tourists,  on  the  continent,  are  at  all 
times  to  be  met,  with  their  guide-books  at  their  noses,  and  their 
Hendschel's  railway-guide  ever  open  before  them,  rushing  by  express- 
train  from  one  large  town  to  another,  doing  in  each  its  cathedral  and 
checking  off  its  gallery,  and   then  off  and   away  for  the  next. 

The  natural  result  of  this  method  is,  that  the  tourists  who  employ 
it  fill  their  heads  with  the  names  of  towns,  routes,  and  countries. 
They  show  a  remarkable  power  of  remembering  where  they  have  been, 
but  a  feeble  recollection  of  what  they  have  seen. 

The  take-it-easy  plan,  as  it  sounds,  is  more  comfortable,  and  more 
improving.  The  take-it-easy  people  are  far  more  entertaining  about 
their  travels,  although  in  talking  with  the  other  sort  they  are  frequently 
tripped  up  by  the  question: 

"  Did  you  go  to  so-and-so  ?  No  ?  oh  !  you  ought  not  to  have  missed 
that !  Why,  it  is  the  only  place  on  that  route  worth  seeing.  Let 
me  see ;  what  was  it  we  saw  there  ?  oh,  the  cathedral,  of  course. 
What!  no  cathedral?  no,  to  be  sure;  it  was  a  bea:;  we  saw 
there." 

Still,  there  are  faults  in  the  lake-it-easy  plan.  It  must  be  admitted 
that  in  the  fable  of  the  hare  and  the  tortoise,  the  hare  got  over  the 


OUT  OF  FRANCE.  145 

most  ground  in  a  given  time,  and  life  is  too  short  for  the  tortoise 
business  nowadays. 

Some  experienced  travellers,  therefore,  believe  in  a  judicious  combina- 
tion of  the  two  plans,  and  their  way  is  to  stay  and  rest,  observe,  and 
learn  in  some  important  place,  and  then  to  take  great  swoops,  even 
across  continents  if  necessary,  in  express-trains,  regardless  of  fatigue, 
in  order  to  alight  in  the  next  place  they  wish  to  thoroughly  examine. 

It  was  now  well  on  in  December,  and  the  season  was  too  late  for 
attractive  study  of  nature.  This  was  no  time  for  the  Rhine,  or  for 
short  excursions  among  the  towns  of  Holland. 

Mr.  Horner  resolved,  therefore,  to  strike  at  once  for  Germany, 
where  they  were  to  settle  down,  in  a  measure,  for  the  winter;  he 
bought  through  tickets  for  Frankfort-am-Main,  on  a  road  between 
that  town  and  Paris,  tolerably  direct,  passing  through  a  country  where 
they  would  not  be  tempted  to  linger,  and  would  not  miss  much 
during  the  night  part  of  the  journey.  The  ground  is  that  fought 
over  so  sadly  by  the  French,  in  the  last  war  with  German}r,  and  the 
stations,  Saarbriick,  Kaiserlauten,  etc.,  had  a  melancholy  sound  to  those 
of  the  party  who  remembered  the  daily  telegraphic  rumors  and  reports 
of  that  bitter   struggle  of  1870. 

Do 

It  was  an  experiment  to  risk  this  long  trip ;  but  if  it  were  a  success, 
it  would  ensure  the  success  of  the  whole  European  excursion.  It 
might  prove  that  the  family  health  could  not  stand  it.  They  might 
all  be  so  used  up  on  arriving  at  Frankfort,  that  they  could  neither 
go  forward,  nor  enjoy  a  rest.  The  family  temper  might  not  stand 
it.  Perhaps  the  children  would  all  grow  so  horribly  cross,  in  their 
long  confinement  to  one  railway  carriage,  that  they  would  be  mutually 
unbearable.  It  sometimes  happens.  Or,  if  only  one  of  the  party 
should  develop  violent  symptoms  of  selfishness,  he  might  easily  make 
matters  so  disagreeable  lor  the  rest,  that  they  would  all  agree,  since 
they  could  not  separate,  to  give  up  in  future  such  a  trying  experience. 

But  Mr.  Horner  had  a  good  deal  of  faith  in  the  nerves,  tempers, 
and  good  breeding  of  his  little  baud,  and  especially  of  their  bodily 
good  condition  and  good  digestion,  upon  which  all  other  qualities 
depend  so  much.      Mrs.    Horner  was  not  very  strong,  but  was  cheerful, 


146  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

even  when  tired.  Mary,  in  spite  of  her  delicacy,  showed  a  wonderful 
capacity  for  endurance,  and  her  temper  was  so  sweet,  there  was  only 
danger  of  her  allowing  herself  to  he  put  upon.  Bessie,  solid  and 
stolid,  expected  to  sleep  as  well  in  her  corner  of  the  "  car,"  as  they 
still  called  it,  as  in  her  own  little  bed  at  home.  Philip  did  not  care 
whether  he  slept  or  not,  and  rather  enjoyed  the  idea  of  a  wakeful 
night.  As  for  Tommy,  they  were  only  afraid  lie  might  get  lost,  in 
trying  private  excursions  on  his  own  account;  but  he  promised  all 
manner  of  obedience  and  propriety,  and  was  indeed  learning  these 
virtues.  Poor  Miss  Lejeune  !  She  hated  a  night  in  the  train,  being 
rather  fussy,  as  the  children  thought,  about  where  and  how  she  slept ; 
but  she  fully  believed  in  the  rapid  transit  plan,  and  had  advocated 
it  from  the  first.  It  was  suspected  she  was  rather  glad  that  Mr. 
Hervey  was  not  going  with  them,  on  account  of  her  "  crinkles "  in 
the  morning,  but  the  others  were  loud  in  their  grief  at  parting  from  this 
dear  man.  Mr.  Hervey,  from  the  first,  assumed  that  he  was  to  be  left 
in  Paris.  He  was  with  them,  however,  to  the  last,  and  nodded  cordially 
at  them  from  the  platform  as  the  train  rolled  out  of  the  station. 

"How  I  shall  miss  you,"  he  said,  as  he  stood  at  the  open  door  of 
their  wagon,  waiting  the  signal  of  departure. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do,  now  we  are  gone '? "  asked  Tommy. 

"Hush,  Tommy!''  said  his  mother.  "Mr.  Hervey  never  tells  his 
plans." 

Mr.  Herve}r  laughed,  saying:  "My  plans  now  are  not  interesting 
enough  to  tell.  That  business  I  spoke  of,"  he  added,  glancing  at 
Mr.  Horner,  "  detains  me  here,  I  know  not  how  long.  Mind  30U 
keep  me  informed  of  your  movements :  and  I  dare  say  I  may  turn 
up  again." 

The  porter  shut  the  door,  the  whistle  gave  a  little  shriek,  not  so 
imposing  as  the  long  moan  of  an  American  steam-whistle,  and  the 
train  was  off. 

"So  that  is  the  last  of  Mr.  Hervey!"  exclaimed  Philip,  throwing 
himself  back  in  his  seat  with  a  jerk. 

"  Why  do  you  say  the  last  of  him  ? "  asked  Miss  Lejeune,  rather 
sharply. 


OUT  OF  FRANCE. 


147 


"  Oh,  because,''  replied  Phil,  with  the  air  of  a  man  of  the  world, 
"he  tilways  says  he  travels  without  a  plan,  so  as  to  be  free  to  do  what 
he  likes.      I  suppose  now  he  will  go  and  join  some  other  party." 

Mr.  Horner  smiled,  and  Mrs.  Horner  smiled  too.  but  no  more  was 
said    then  on   the    subject,  probably  because   none  of  them  knew   any- 


Tin-;  POINTSMAN. 


thing,  and  considered  their  guesses  not  worth  mentioning.  The  young 
folks  at  the  windows  Merc  soon  absorbed  in  the  scenery  through 
which   they  passed. 

It  began  to  rain,  and  as  it  grew  dark,  nothing  was  to  be  seen 
but  long  lines  of  dripping  landscape,  varied  by  the  stations  and 
little  houses  where  the  pointsman   lives. 


148  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

"  And  so  we  have  left  our  dear  Paris !  "  exclaimed  Mary.  "  I  do 
not  believe  I  shall  like  any  other  place  as  well." 

"  Our  room  at  the  Hotel  du  Rhin  was  so  cosy,"  said  Bessie. 

"  And  ours,"  added  Phil,  "was  splendid;  you  could  see  so  much 
down  in  the  place." 

"  And  Pierre  was  so  jolly,"  said  Tommy.  "  I  taught  him  a  good 
deal  of  English." 

Pierre  was  the  garcon  who  brought  their  coffee  to  the  salon.  He 
was  a  very  friendly,  intelligent  fellow,  who  had  made  himself  useful, 
and  they  all  liked  him  much.  When  they  drove  off  from  the  hotel, 
in  their  small  omnibus,  again  piled  high  with  trunks,  he  stood  on  the 
sidewalk  in  his  white  apron,  his  hair  ruffled  by  the  parcels  he  had 
carried  on  his  shoulder,  with  an  expression  of  real  regret  on  his  face. 
It  was  their  last  impression  of  friendliness  in  Paris. 

"  Now  we  shall  begin  to  talk  horrid  German,"  grumbled  Bessie, 
"old  der-die-das  business.  I  know  I  shall  not  like  it  as  well  as 
nice   easy    French." 

They  had  gone  on  for  some  time  growling  among  themselves, 
lamenting  their  lost  Paris,  and  making  resolutions  to  hate  the  Ger- 
mans and  always  love  their  Parisians,  without  any  aid  from  the 
elders,  who,  tired  with  the  getting  off,  were  silent,  until  Miss  Lejeune 
roused   herself,    and   sitting   up,    said : 

"  Look  here,  children,  now  comes  one  of  my  sermons.  I  love 
Paris  as  well  as  you  do,  and  think  French  far  prettier  and  easier 
than  German.  But  it  will  never  do  for  3-011  to  go  regretting 
along  through  Europe.  Put  your  affection  for  Paris  in  your  pockets, 
and  turn  your  minds  and  hearts  for  what  is  coming  next.  *  Le 
roi  est  mort,  vive  le  roi.'  Now,  for  the  present,  we  have  done  with 
Louis  XIV.,  his  boulevard  and  all  its  gay  shops.  Who  comes  next 
to    take    his    place  ?  " 

«Der  Kaiser  Wilhelm  !  " 

"  Barbarossa ! '" 

"Charlemagne  !  "  — exclaimed  the  children  together,  whereupon  the 
grown-ups  laughed.  Mrs.  Horner  sighed.  "I  wish,"  she  said,  "the  line 
of  German  monarchs  was  as  smooth  and  easy  as  the  descent  of  the  Valois  ; 


OUT  OF  FRANCE. 


149 


but  it  is  so  mixed  and  divided  up  into  states  that  a  clear  idea  seems 
difficult." 

"  At  Frankfort  we  shall  see  the  pictures  of  all  those  emperors  that  are 
in  Miss  Yonge's  history,"  said  Mary. 


llllr 


i  ri  fr>v"-\ !' 


THE    EMPEKOE   BAKBAROSSA    AXI>    POPE   ADRIAN. 

'"Must  we  know  as  much  about  the  emperors  as  we  do  about  the 
French  kings,  papa?"  inquired  Tommy  anxiously. 

"  You  will  get  very  much  interested  in  some  of  them,"  replied  his 
father  encouragingly,  "and  yon  will  not  be  much  disgraced  if  von 
do  not  keep  the  chronology  of  the  German  empire  very  clear.  For  the 
boundaries  of  Europe  have  been  changed  so  often  it  is  not  easy  to  say 
what  Germany  is,  or  rather  what  it  was,  before  the  present  emperor  com- 
bined it  all  within  one  government." 

"Hateful  old  emperor!  "  cried  Bessie.  "How  I  hate  him  for  ruining 
the  French." 


1&Q 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


"Hush!  hush!"  cried   Miss  Lejeune.     "You  arc   much  too  near  the 
boundary  for  that !  "  and  in  fact  at  that  moment  the  door  was  thrown 
open,  and  the   guard,   now  become  a  Sekaffner,  cried,  "  Zwei  minuten 
alles  absteigen  !  "  and  they  felt  that  they  really  had  crossed  the  border, 
and  entered  another  country. 


INTO  GEKMANY. 


151 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


INTO   GERMANY. 


MARY'S  letter  from  Frankfort  to  her  friend  and  schoolmate,  Cicely 
Stratton,  will  perhaps  give   a   fair  idea    of  first  impressions  in 
Germany. 

tk .     .     We  left  Paris  in  great  gloom  and  terror  of  the  unknown  Ger- 
man tongue,  after  our  dear  French,  which  has  become  quite  easy  to  us. 


-l.bU-  '■(-:  'I  r.*,Vf':';^--^x  ; ■'■'■     ' 

I         I  ,  _     ;,$;p  I  (if  <      r  r  j  ^  "«£■'       ■ 


MAYENCE. 


Tlie  Stuyvesants,  Mr.  and  Miss,  came  to  see  us  off, —  sweet  of  them, — 
with  a  bag  full  of  pears  and  oranges.  We  had  a  good  enough  night  on  the 
train,  though  it  is  not  exactly  sleep  you  get  with  your  head  jammed  into 
a  corner,  and  each  new  position  more  uncomfortable  than  the  last.     We 


152  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

reached  Metz  at  dawn,  to  be  told  that  we  could  walk  about  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, then  jogged  en  over  an  uninteresting  country  all  the  morning ;: 
but  at  two  or  three  we  began  to  draw  near  the  Rhine,  old  castles,  etc., 
very  exciting,  and  the  lovely  sun,  which  we  had  not  seen  for  several  days,, 
came  out,  with  the  rare  phenomenon  of  blue  sky. 

"  Can  you  not  fancy  us  at  Bingen  —  'Sweet   Biugen  on   the   Rhine?" 


MATENCE   CATHEDKAL. 


Phil  of  course  began  to  spout  the  poem,  as  if  he  were  trying  for  a  prize 
on  the  platform  at  school.  Tommy's  amazement  at  first  discovering 
there  was  any  sense   or  meaning  in    the   lines,  was  good.     We  saw  the 


INTO  GERMANY.  153 

Maus  Tower,  Ehrenfells,  Rudesheim,  all  lighted  with  a  lovely  glow  ;  but 
of  course  we  postpone  any  real  Rhine  emotions  till  we  do  it  next  spring. 
Then  darkness  came  down  suddenly.  It  was  a  scenic  effect,  there  for 
one  minute,  and  then  gone.  We  had  to  change  wagons  at  Mayence,  and 
stayed  there  an  hour.  Papa  and  Phil  walked  about  the  town.  When 
we  got  in  again  there  was  a  fraulein  in  the  same  compartment,  for  the 
train  was  very  crowded,  and  we  tried  our  little  German  on  her  ;  and  soon 
we  reached  Frankfort  in  the  pitch  dark. 

"  Now  everybody  began  to  be  lovely  and  friendly,  and  aunt  Gus  to 
sling  about  her  German.  A  sweet  German  in  a  blue  blouse  seized  us, 
and  we  were  thrust  into  two  yellow  droschkys,  which  are  like  nacres, 
with  one  horse,  but  more  roomy.  Our  driver  was  a  lovely  man,  so  Ger- 
man, who  brought  us  at  once  to  our  hotel,  where  everything  is  clean  and 
quiet,  and  where  we  have  lots  of  rooms  full  of  fluffy  beds.  The  proprie- 
tor talks  English  perfectly  well,  which  is  mortifying  though  convenient, 
but  we  have  to  do  German  with  the  maids  and  kellners. 

"So  after  a  nice  little  dinner  we  sank  into  our  first  German  beds,  but  I 
can't  stop  here  to  describe  them,  only  it  is  like  being  in  the  middle  of 
Charlotte-Russe  with  white-of-egg  on  top. 

"Baedeker  has  a  very  good  plan  of  the  town,  and  with  it  Phil. 
Bessie  and  I  have  been  finding  our  way  about  the  streets  b}-  ourselves, 
while  papa  sees  bankers,  and  gets  German  mone}%  etc.  We  have  to  come 
back  for  table  cVhote  dinner  as  early  as  one  o'clock,  which  seems  queer 
after  Paris.  We  are  enchanted  with  Frankfort.  Everything  looks  like 
Oscar  Pfletsh's  pictures.  The  streets  are  very  muddy,  and  have  no  side- 
walks, and  the  houses  are  like  the  underneath  part  of  stairs.  The  '  Land- 
strasses  '  outside  the  town  are  rural,  with  trees,  and  very  pretty,  and  it 
is  all  so  mixed  that  fust  you  are  in  town  and  then  you  are  not,  and  then 
back  again  through  a   '  Thor  '   which  is  no  longer  a  Thor,  but  a  tradition. 

'•  In  llie  afternoon  we  went,  some  of  us,  in  a  yellow  droschky  to  a 
public  garden,  where  Ave  had  the  most  lovely  time.  There  is  a  big 
garden,  and  then  a  sort  of  small  crystal  palace,  where,  under  glass, 
is  a  pile  of  artificial  rock-work  with  water  pouring  over  it,  and  palms 
and  tree-ferns,  winding  paths  and  hidden  seats.  Here  we  wandered  till 
the  music    began,   and   then  went  into  the   gallery  of  a  large  hall  that 


154 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


belongs  to  it,  and  heard  our  first  really  German  music.  Perfectly  delight- 
ful !  Aunt  Gus  and  I  squeezed  each  other's  hands  at  a  waltz  of  Strauss. 
They  go  at  the  music  with  a  will,  and  make  it  sound  more  intense  than 
any  I  ever  heard.  Everybody,  up  and  down-stairs,  was  sitting  at  little 
tables.,  the  men  smoking,  women  knitting,  all  jabbering  and  little  mind- 
ing the  music.  By  and  by  we  ordered  tea  and  bread  and  cake.  When 
it  was  all  over  it  was  dark,  though  still  early,  and  we  came  down  to  the 
front  gate  to  take  our  droschkys.  Now  we  had  a  queer  little  adventure, 
because  there  was  but  one;  but,  as  we  thought  there  were  plenty 
more,  the  others  got  into  that  and  drove  off,  and  it  was  mamma  and  I 
and  Phil  that  were  left.  Onl}r  there  were  no  more  drosclrys,  apparently, 
and  two  policemen  kept  whistling  for  one  in  vain.  Suddenly  one  of  these 
men  (who  was  in  a  box  and  stuck  his  head  out  of  it)  cried,  in  German, 

so  fiercely  that  we 
grasped  his  meaning, 
something  like  this : 
*  There's  a  horse-car, 
if  you  want  that  I'll 
make  it  stop.'  '  Ja ! 
Ja  !  '  I  s  aid.  He 
whistled,  it  stopped, 
and  we  hustled  into  it. 
Mamma  was  rather 
frightened,  and  asked 
me,  as  we  were  run- 
ning to  it,  if  I  knew 
the  way  to  the  hotel 
when  we  got  there  \ 
as  if  that  were  likely. 
We  got  into  a  very 
singular  '  pferdeisen* 
bahnwagen,'  which  is 
divided  off  in  the  mid- 
dle, so  that  you  sit  with  only  half  the  passengers.  This  makes  a  sort  oi 
sociable  thing  of  it,  and  all  present  took  the  wildest  interest  in  us,  and  all 


STATUE    OF    GUTENBEKG. 


PALM    GAliDKN. 


INTO  GERMANY. 


157 


jabbered  at  once  to  tell  us  where  to  get  out.     A  man  in  a  peaked  hat 
and  a  fraiilein  had  a  difference  of  opinion  on  this  subject.     The  conductor 

came  in  and  mixed  himself  in  the  matter,  and  altogether  we  got  very  merry 
and  laughed  a  great 
deal,  paid  strange 
sums,  and  received  lit- 
tle green  tickets, 
which  we  have  still, 
for  it  is  an  odd  thing 
that  in  Germany  they 
give  and  do  not  take 
tickets,  and  thus  we 
have  them  all  left 
over. 

"  Xow  w  e  w  ere 
dumped  out  in  the 
middle  of  a  dark 
street,  with  parting 
advice  to  go  links  and 
rechts.  Luckily  we 
saw  the  statue  of  Giit- 
enburg  looming  up, 
and  Phil  knew  how  to 
go  by  that,  and  soon 
we  found  ourselves 
triumphant  at  o  u  r 
hotel ,  papa  just  pay- 
ing his  drosehky,  and 
looking  down  the 
street  after  ours,  for 
this  had  all  taken  only 
a  short  while,  luckily,  so  the  others  had  not  begun  to  worry. 

'"•The  chief  shopping  street  is  the  Zeil,  full  of  enchanting  little  shops, 
toys,  pictures,  and  gay  tilings,  not  pretentious,  like  the  magazins  du  boule- 
vard at  Paris,  but  sort  of  home-like.     .     .     .  " 


FRANKFORT:    LUTHER S    HOUSE. 


158  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

Frankfort,  on  the  threshold,  so  to  speak,  of  Germany,  is  a  town  full  of 
interest  historically,  and  very  bright,  pleasant,  and  attractive  also.  It 
dates  from  Charlemagne,  794.  Old  watch-towers  in  the  neighborhood 
show  the  extent  of  the  ancient  city,  in  which  the  emperors  were  elected 
and  crowned.  An  air  of  wealth  and  importance  pervades  the  place, 
showing  the  success  and  extent  of  its  commercial  relations. 

The  Romer  is,  historically,  the  most  interesting  building.  It  was  bought 
by  the  city,  in  1405,  for  a  town  hall.  It  contains,  in  the  "Kaisersaal,"  a 
succession  of  portraits  of  the  emperors  ;  modern  pictures,  it  is  true,  and 
without  great  merit  as  works  of  art,  but  very  useful  to  individualize  the 
different  heroes  of  the  old  Roman  Empire,  whom  the  children  were  now 
becoming  acquainted  with,  as  they  before  had  learnt  to  know  the  French 
inonarchs  of  importance.  They  spent  much  time  among  these  pictures, 
selecting  their  favorites,  and  discussing  their  characters.  Tommy  found 
it  hard  to  understand  the  emperors  being  elected,  and  wanted  to  know 
why  in  that  case  they  were  different  from  presidents  ;  his  father  took 
some  pains  to  make  him  see  the  difference  between  the  hereditary  suc- 
cession of  countries  like  France  and  England,  where  the  crown  descends 
from  father  to  son,  and  the  plan  adopted  from  early  times  in  Germany, 
where  seven  electors,  acknowledged  or  supposed  to  be  the  wisest  heads 
of  the  land,  were  allowed  to  appoint  the  successor  of  each  emperor. 
Three  of  these  electors  were  bishops,  and  the  others  dukes  or 
princes  of  large  possessions  and  powers,  and  it  was  their  business  to  meet 
and  discuss  and  decide  during  the  lifetime  of  one  emperor,  who  should 
come  next  to  him. 

Mr.  Horner  pointed  out  how  the  two  systems  have  not  been  so  very 
different  in  the  long  run  ;  for  every  emperor  would  naturally  wish  to 
keep  the  crown  in  his  own  family  ;  and  if  he  were  strong  and  powerful, 
he  could  force  the  electors  to  appoint  his  own  son  or  natural  heir,  so  that 
it  often  did  descend  from  father  to  son  for  several  generations. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  France,  where  the  rule  was  for  the  crown  to  de- 
scend from  father  to  son,  this  worked  very  well  under  the  same  circum- 
stances, —  that  is,  if  the  king  was  strong  and  powerful ;  but,  if  he  were 
weak  and  unpopular,  some  duke  or  other  rival  got  possession  of  the 
throne  and  changed  the  dynasty,  so  that  since  the  time  of  Charlemagne, 


INTO  GERMANY.  159 

the  number  of  reigning  families  is  hardly  greater  in  the  German  empire 
than  in  France,  where  the  direct  succession  has  been  lost  several  times, 
or  than  in  England,  where  it  has  been  by  no  means  direct. 

The  children  were  beginning  also  to  understand  that  in  earlier  times, 
when  there  was  no  public  communication  between  different  countries,  the 
title  of  emperor,  duke,  or  king,  meant  something  very  unlike  the  same 
words  in  the  modern  system  of  government.  Arbitrary  as  the  old 
sovereigns  were,  and  undisputed  as  might  be  their  right  to  control, 
they  could  not  easily  exercise  it  without  railroads,  telegraph,  police, 
or  newspapers.  In  the  absence  of  the  emperors,  who  often  were  off 
either  alone  or  with  whole  armies,  asserting  their  claim  over  the  impe- 
rial city  of  Rome,  —  like  Barbarossa  in  the  picture, — making  friends 
with  the  pope,  or  fighting  as  crusaders  in  Palestine,  not  only  princes  and 
nobles  grew  powerful,  but  separate  cities  became  very  strong.  They 
had  their  own  trades  and  manufactures,  governed  themselves,  and  wisely, 
too,  by  their  own  town-councils ,  training  their  men  to  arms  and  fortify- 
ing their  walls  to  be  a  match  for  the  nobles.  Those  who  owned  no  lord 
but  the  emperor,  called  themselves  free  imperial  cities.  They  had  fleets 
and  armies,  made  treaties,  and  were  much  respected  ;  and  in  confused 
times  maintained  far  better  order  than  existed  in  other  parts  of  the 
country. 

Frankfort  is  one  of  these,  formerly  called  a  free  town  of  the  empire, 
afterwards  of  the  German  confederation.  In  1866,  when  all  Germany 
was  united  under  the  present  emperor,  all  these  free  towns  lost  their  indi- 
viduality, and  became,  like  any  other,  parts  of  the  new  Prussian  empire. 

The  Homers  saw  in  Frankfort  the  birthplace  of  Goethe,  of  whom  they 
were  destined  to  hear  and  know  much  more  while  they  were  in  Germany, 
and  the  Ariadne,  by  Danneker,  a  beautiful  piece  of  modern  sculpture, 
which  has  been  often  reproduced  in  Parian  as  a  statuette  or  mantel 
ornament. 


ioO  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT, 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


CHRISTMAS. 


BY  the  advice,  and  through  the  kindness  of  the  American  Consul  at 
Frankfort,  who  at  that  time  considered  it  a  pleasure  as  well  as  his 
duty,  to  bestow  upon  travellers  who  were  his  countrymen  the  result  of 
his  experience  during-  a  long  life  in  Germany,  Mr.  Horner  decided  to  stay 
there    through    December,    and    thus   pass   the    German    Christmas  in 

that  city.     Mr.  W secured  for  them  a  pleasant  apartment  in  the 

Anlagen  or  suburbs  of  Frankfort,  where  they  now  settled  down  for 
these  few  weeks  as  if  quite  at  home,  even  more  so  than  at  Paris ;  and 
though  not  venturing  real  housekeeping  in  her  little  establishment, 
as  their  meals  were  sent  in  from  a  restaurant,  Mrs.  Horner  engaged  a 
German  maid,  a  stout,  honest,  red-faced  Thuringian,  named  Elise,  who 
furnished  a  severe  test  to  the  family  German,  and  a  source  of  some  enter- 
tainment to  the  boys. 

Their  suite  was  "  zweite  treppe  hoch,"  which  means  two  nights  up. 
The  door  of  entrance  had  a  bell-rope,  with  a  handle  hanging  to  it,  exactly 
like  the  illustrations  by  Oscar  Pnetsch.  A  neat  little  parlor  connected 
with  a  smaller  dining-room,  and  the  necessary  number  of  bedrooms ;  and 
there  was  a  kitchen  on  the  same  floor,  where  Elise  reigned  supreme,  made 
their  coffee  in  the  morning,  washed  dishes,  etc.  It  was  hard  for  Tommy 
to  get  used  to  a  kitchen  up-stairs,  and  close  to  the  bedrooms  and  parlor  : 
a  funny  little  kitchen  it  was,  too,  with  all  sorts  of  earthen-ware  pots  and 
pans,  unlike  the  shining  tin  of  a  Yankee  pantry,  but  all  very  handy  and 
useful. 

A  tall  white  German  stove  ornamented  the  dining-room,  and  became 
very  important  as  the  days  grew  shorter  and  the  cold  sharper.  Happily 
the  parlor  contained  a  little  open  fire-place,  so  that  they  were  not  deliv- 


CHRISTMAS. 


161 


ered  over  to  the  cheerless  warmth  of  the  national  institution  of  Germany  ; 
but  they  found  themselves,  after  all,  growing  attached  to  their  taJ  jtove, 
although   it  had   such  a 


talent  for  going  out  that 
Elise  had  constantly  to 
be  summoned  to  kindle 
it  again.  Mary  and  Bes- 
sie found  it  very  warm- 
ing to  lean  up  against, 
pressing  their  backs 
closely  to  the  warm  but 
not  too  hot  surface,  when 
they  came  in  chilled 
through,  sometimes,  on 
a  sunless  day  in  Decem- 
ber. In  fact  they  had 
snow  before  the}7  left, 
and  Bessie  had  the  fun 
of  a  walk  in  a  flurry 
quite  like  a  storm  at 
home.  The  parlor  had 
two  windows  overlook- 
ing a  pretty  garden, 
though  at  this  season 
flowerless ;  there  were 
window-seats,  and  the 
sashes  opened  like  doors. 
Pots  of  pretty  blossom- 
ing plants  were  placed 
in  the  windows  by  the 
friendly  landlady,  who 
took  a  great  interest  in 
her  American  lodgers, 
and  who  was  a  good  deal  surprised  to  find  they  talked  English  and 
not  Indian,  and  that  they  did  not  eat  human  flesh. 


•    -*  WO  ►>  — 


<l   i:MAN    CHILDItKN. 


162 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


In  Frankfort  there  are  many  more  English  and  Americans  than  in 
the  smaller  interior  towns  of  Germany ;  the  shops  and  hotels  are  as 
cosmopolitan  as  in  other  large  towns  ;  but  there  is  a  great  barrier  of 
ignorance  and  conservatism  among  the  lower  classes  everywhere  in 
Germany,  which  prevents  their  receiving  advanced  ideas.     They  travel 

not  at  all,  read 
but  few  news- 
papers ;  an  ex- 
pedition of  five 
hours  on  the 
railway  is  too 
expensive  to  be 
dreamed  of; 
thus  their  no- 
tions of  other 
nations  are  very 
primitive,  and 
about  Ameri- 
cans especially. 
They  seem  to 
think  our  cus- 
toms are  about 
the  same  now 
as  when  Colum- 
bus found  them. 
The  furniture 
of  the  parlor 
was  comforta- 
ble, but  stiffly 
arranged,  until  the  airy  touch  of  Miss  Lejeune  had  thrown  a  little  agree- 
able confusion  into  it.  Before  the  sofa  stood  the  little  sofa-table,  where 
the  afternoon  coffee  was  each  day  brought ;  it  was  flanked  on  each  side  by 
a  large  chair,  and  this  grouping  was  so  dear  to  the  heart  of  Elise,  that 
whenever  it  was  disarranged,  she  immediately  put  it  all  back  again. 
This  sofa  is  the  sacred  spot  in  a  German  salon.     A  seat  upon  it  is  the 


A  GERMAN    KITCHEN. 


-NOW   STOItM. 


CHRISTMAS.  165 

place  of  honor  to  which  the  guest  of  most  importance  is  conducted. 
Next  to  him  or  her  must  sit  the  hostess,  in  courteous  conversation,  while 
minor  lights  may  cluster  about  them.  Everything  in  the  room  was 
covered  with  some  piece  of  worsted  work  or  embroidery.  "In  fact," 
Mary  wrote  to  her  friend,  "  there  is  not  a  straight  line  in  Germany 
which  has  not  been  decorated  with  a  pattern  out  of  the  Bazar." 

The  carpet  was  stretched  over  the  middle  of  the  room  onlv,  while  the 
rest  of  the  floor,  left  bare,  was  painted  and  polished.  Several  of  the  other 
rooms  had  no  carpets,  only  neatly  oiled  or  painted  floors,  and  a  few  rugs ; 
but  they  were  kept  clean  and  carefully  rubbed  by  the  ever  industrious 
Elise,  who  also  was  forever  polishing  bright  the  brass  door-handles,  and 
knobs  for  various  uses,  which  abounded  in  the  apartment. 

Altogether,  the  Homers  felt  their  establishment  gemuthlich,  and  applied 
themselves,  as  they  had  in  Paris,  to  tasting  a  little  the  characteristic  life 
of  the  place.  They  made  and  received  a  few  visits  from  some  very  pleas- 
ant German  families,  and  thus  saw  something  of  the  customs  of  the 
inhabitants  :  they  were  charmed  with  their  simple,  unpretentious  manner 
of  living,  in  which  economy  plays  a  conspicuous  part,  but  where  the  lack 
of  luxury  is  made  up  for  by  simple  ornaments,  worked  by  industrious 
hands — footstools,  chair-tidies,  coffee-warmers,  everything  that  affection, 
aided  by  the  least  possible  amount  of  money,  can  devise  for  the  comfcrt 
of  the  home. 

Now  lessons  began,  — real  serious  study  of  the  German  language.  Every 
morning,  after  the  very  simple  breakfast  of  coffee  and  rolls,  the  dining- 
room  was  given  over  to  grammars  and  dictionaries,  and  nothing  was  to 
be  heard  for  some  hours  but  the  scratching  of  pens,  and  inflection  of  verbs, 
and  the  frequent  recurrence  of  "  der,  die.  das,*'  that  terrible  complicated 
article,  which  now  took  the  place  of  the  light  and  airy  "le  "  and  "la  "  of 
the  French.     An  excellent  professor,  Herr  Saitel,  recommended  by  Mr. 

W ,  undertook  to  plant  his  native  German  in  the  heads  of  all  the  young 

Homers.  He  proved  an  admirable  teacher,  for  lie  knew  enough  of  Eng- 
lish to  understand  the  points  of  difficulty ;  and,  unlike  many  German 
professors,  did  not  suppose  I  hat  his  duties  were  limited  to  reading  and 
explaining  the  principal  works  of  Schiller  and  Goethe. 

Even  Tommy  was  compelled  to  apply  himself  for  an  hour  of  German 


166  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

reading  and  writing,  which,  in  addition  to  what  he  picked  up  in  his  con- 
ferences with  Elise,  and  all  the  people  they  met,  made  him  a  fluent,  if  not 
an  accomplished  German  before  long.  There  were  two  little  German  chil- 
dren who  lived  oben,  that  is,  on  the  story  above  the  Homers,  with  whom 
Tommy  soon  struck  up  an  acquaintance.  Gertrude  was  a 
solid  little  lass  with  a  thick  braid  of  blonde  hair  down 
her  back,  and  Loins,  a  gentle  little  boy  of  seven. 

These  children  were  now  full  of  the  approach  of  Christ- 
mas, and  through  the  whole  town  the  preparation  for  that 
festival  was  apparent.  Every  family  has  a  tree  at  Christ- 
mas as  regularly  as  we  have  roast  turkey  on  Thanksgiving 
Day,  and,  for  several  days  beforehand,  the  market-place  and 
streets  were  full  of  "  Tannen-baums  "  leaning  up  against  the 
houses,  — solid  little  fir-trees  which  adapt  themselves  better 
to  the  candles  and  decorations  of  a  Christmas-tree,  than  the 
hemlock  and  other  growths  which  are  found  in  our 
American  woods. 

The  Homers  were  invited,  through  their  friends,  to  rouis. 

half  a  dozen  different  trees,  and,  by  dividing  their 
forces,  managed  to  see  them  all,  thus  gratifying  the  genuine  hospitality 
of  their  friendly  German  acquaintances.  One  or  two  were  occasions  of 
great  splendor,  but  the  most  characteristic,  perhaps,  was  that  of  the  little 
Gertrude  and  Louis,  who  lived  above  them,  which  Mary  thus  described 
in  her  letter  to  her  friend  :  — 

"  In  a  little  while  the  tree  was  ready,  and  it  was  very  pretty,  but,  except 
Louis  and  Gertrude,  the  others  did  not  pretend  to  look  at  it  much;  for 
Emile  and  Gustel  had  dressed  it  themselves,  and  everybody  had  seen  it 
beforehand,  so  there  was  no  locking  of  doors  and  bursting  in.  It  looked 
just  like  our  trees,  although  Fraulein  Liidt  said,  'Of  course,  in  America 
you  can  have  only  imitation  Tannen-baums,'  thinking  that  the  American 
trees  all  grow  of  pasteboard.  The  tree  had  lights  and  balls  and  candy  on 
it,  and  the  presents  for  each  were  set  about  the  room  on  tables.  The 
fraiileins,  who  were  invited  guests,  had  sweet  things  laid  out  for  them. 
I  thought  they  were  rather  rude,  for  though  they  cried  'reizend! '  and 
'wunderschon,' they  said  generally  that  they  had  got  the  same  things 


t 


■^ 


CHRISTMAS.  169 

before.  Fran  Goben  looked  at  her  pile  with  interest.  She  had  a  black 
moreen  petticoat  and  a  lire-rug,  and  a  pen-wiper,  and  a  bottle  of  'rau- 
chend-pulver,'  which  they  sprinkle  on  their  stoves  to  partially  avert*a 
kind  of  burnt-iron  smell  inherent  to  their  nature.  That  was  all:' but  she 
seemed  content,  and  so  did  the  other  relations,  screaming  and  carrying 
on,  just  as  we  used  to,  when  we  looked  at  our  presents. 

"  '  Have  j-ou  seen  my  pile  ?  Look  at  this  lovely  brioche  (footstool), 
the  grandmamma  made  it  herself.'  Johanna  had  made  and  trimmed  a 
hat  for  Gustel,  black  velvet  with  a  rose,  and  Emile,  who  goes  to  Leipsic 
to  school  next  week,  had  a  trunk,  and  new  trousers  and  a  knife,  and  six 
pocket  handkerchiefs  marked  in  red.  Everybody  had  a  packet  of  pfleffer- 
kuchen.  Now  they  brought  out  champagne.  We  all  ate  pfleffer-kuchen 
and  little  cakes  cut  out  in  odd  shapes :  cocks  and  hens,  dogs,  men, 
etc.  The  one  servant  came  in  and  had  her  pile  given  her.  There  was 
to  be  a  supper  then,  a  great  occasion,  with  herring-salad,  made  by  the 
grandmother  herself  according  to  a  time-honored  custom,  but  we  were  all 
engaged  to  the  W's.,  and  came  away  earl}-.  The  funny  thing  was  that  all 
this  time  they  did  not  take  much  notice  of  the  tree  itself,  which  stood 
burning  away  there  with  its  pretty  little  lights,  and  when  we  politely 
began  to  praise  it,  they  said,  '  Oh  yes  !  I  suppose  you  do  not  have  them 
in  America.' 

"  This  was  in  English,  and  Tommy  was  so  mad  that  he  blurted  out, 
'  Yes  we  do,  and  a  hundred  times  better  ! '  but  I  stuffed  pfleffer-kuchen 
into  his  mouth,  and  I  hope  he  was  not  heard. 

'•These  trees  were  all  lighted  on  Christmas  eve,  called  heilig-abend. 
They  have  three  feast  days,  the  second  being  the  real  Christmas  day, 
when  everyone  goes  to  church,  and  lias  a  real  Christmas  dinner,  and 
during  the  third  the  shops  are  still  shut  and  the  holiday  continued;  but 
the  children's  great  time  of  rejoicing  is  Christmas  eve." 


170  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


MR.    HERVEY. 


ON  the  morning  of  Christmas,  when  most  of  the  party  were  about 
to  get  ready  for  the  service  at  the  Dom-kirche,  or  cathedral,  the 
postman  came  in  rather  later  than  usual,  bearing  a  huge  box.  They 
had  become  very  friendly  with  this  postman,  who  was  in  the  habit 
of  stepping  in  with  the  letters,  and  having  a  little  chat  about  the 
weather  and  affairs  generally ;  on  this  occasion  his  friendship  was 
stimulated  by  a  Christmas-present   the   day  before,  from   Mr.  Horner. 

All  gathered  about  this  box,  much  larger  than  anything  they  were 
accustomed  to  see  coming  by  mail.  The  post-office  service  is  admirable 
in  Germany,  although  encumbered  by  certain  rules  and  regulations 
which  seem  rather  fussy  to  slip-shod  foreigners.  It  takes  the  place  of 
all  other  express  business,  and  large  packages  can  go  by  mail  from 
one  part  of  Germany  to  another  in  perfect  safety,  and  very  cheap. 

The  box  was  from  Hamburg,  and  addressed  to  Mrs.  Horner. 

"•  It  is  Mr.  Hervey's  handwriting,"  shrieked  Philip.  Elise  was  sum- 
moned. Nobody  knew  the  German  for  screw-driver.  The  Brief-trager 
drew  from  his  pocket  a  stalwart  knife,  and  pried  off  the  only  slightly- 
fastened    lid,  after    which    he  disappeared  in   the  confusion,  unnoticed. 

The  box  contained  a  paper  box  within,  full  of  exquisite  fresh-cut 
flowers  from  a  green-house,  marked  "  for  the  ladies,"  and  a  huge 
package  of  candies  and  all  sorts  of  wonderful  sugar-plums  for  the 
children.     A  card  lay  on  top,  inscribed  : 

"Much  love  and  a  merry  Christmas! 

from  Clarence  Hervey. 
Hamburg,  Dec.  23." 


^*aa     i 


I'l: 


HA.MIM  i;i.    A I  VKKET-VYOMAN. 


171 


ME.  HERVEY. 


178 


"  Mr.  Hervey  at  Hamburg !  "  they  exclaimed ;  but  Miss  Lejeune 
said :  — 

"  In  all  this  Christmas  bustle,  I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  I  had  a  note 
from  him,  saying  he  had  left  Paris/ ' 

"  Oh,  why  didn't  he  come  here !  "  groaned  Tommy. 

"  But  look  at  the  beautiful  things  he  has  sent !  "  said  Mary,  and 
she  buried  her  face  in  a  delicious  mass  of  roses,  heliotropes,  and  all 
manner  of  perfumed  blossoms. 

Hamburg  is  celebrated  for  its  beautiful  hot-house  flowers,  which 
are  not  to  be  seen  in  other  German  towns,  where  it  is  still  the  fashion 
to  make  up  stiff  and  set  bouquets  in  regular  circles,  in  which  immortelles 
and  evergreen  predominate. 
Plants  in  pots,  early  bulbs, 
cyclamen  and  such  things 
are  plentiful,  but  the  charm 
of  cut-flowers  is  rare,  ex- 
cept at  Hamburg,  where 
they  are  cultivated  and  sold 
in  profusion. 

The  sugar-plums  of  Ham- 
burg are  also  celebrated. 

"  And  Mr.  Hervey,"  said 
Philip,  "is  just  the  fellow 
to  find  that  out,"  as  lie 
cracked  a  bon-bon,  very 
delicious,  between  his  teeth. 

This  pleasant  reminder 
of  their  friend  and  coun- 
tryman, gave  the  party  the 
feeling  of  home,  which  the 
feast  had  otherwise  lacked,  and  Christmas  having  thus  happily  passed, 
the  children  settled  down  with  fresh  alacrity  to  their  German  lessons, 
and  to  their  study  of  the  old  emperors  in  the  Romer,  which  they 
visited  whenever  they  had  made  a  new  acquaintance  among  the  heroes 
of  history  or  tradition. 


ST.    IIENKY. 


174 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


The  following  is  a  list  of  the  favorites  among  the  emperors  of  the 
young  Homers,  with  the  reasons  which  they  gave  for  their  preference : 
reasons  not  always  very  deep,  or  perhaps  to  be  reverenced  by  serious 
historians.  Great  difference  of  opinion  prevailed  among  them  about 
the  characters  of  those  they  liked,  and  of  the  degree  of  favor  that 
these  deserved,  but  on  the  whole,  so  much  was  settled: 
They  liked  Charlemagne   (800  -  814),  of  course. 

Otto   the    Great,    ( 936  -  973 ),    because     lie    married    Edith,    sister 

to  Athelstan  of  England,  old 
friends  through  Freeman's  Old 
English   History. 

St.  Henry  II.,  (1000-1024), 
chiefly  on  account  of  the  pic- 
ture of  him,  holding  the  little 
cathedral. 

Fred'k  Barbarossa,  (1152  — 
1178),  because  he  is  still  asleep 
in  a  cave,  with  his  long  beard 
growing  round  him. 

Henry   VI.,  (1190-1194). 

for  being  the   Cceur  de  Lion 

man,  that  is,  the  emperor  who 

first  kept  Richard  (his  uncle, 

by   the  way)  in  custody  and 

afterwards  allowed  his  ransom, 

on  his    way   home    from    the 

Crusades. 

Frederick   II.,  ( 1212  -  1250  ),   was    the    emperor  with  whom   Louis 

of  Thuringia  had  to  go  off  to  the  Crusades,  leaving  his  wife,  the  saintly 

Elizabeth,  on    the    Wartburg,  which    they   were   going   to   see  in    the 

spring. 

Henry  VII.,  (1308-1313),  was  a  great  Ghibelline,  went  to  Rome> 
to  be  crowned,  and  brought  back  glory  to  the  name  of  German 
emperor.     They  liked  his  picture. 

Charles  IV.,  (1347  - 1378),  was  the  Golden  Bull  Emperor. 


HENRY    VI. 


MR.  HERVEY. 


175 


Maximilian,   (1493  - 1519),   was    their   great  favorite,  on  account  of 
the  Dove  in  the  eagle's  nest. 

So  they  came  to  Charles  V.,   (1529-1556),— 

Frederick  the   Great,   (1440-1796),— 

But  here    their  list    became  too  mixed   and  complicated,  as   well    as 
their  opinions,  as  the  number  of  charac- 
ters  increased  upon  a    more    modern 
stage. 

They  had  brought  with  them  a  few 
books,  which  now  proved  most  useful. 
Miss  Yonge's  Young  Folks'  Germany, 
which  they  had  read  and  re-read,  always 
interested  in  the  stories  with  which  she 
has  filled  it,  supplemented  the  history 
of  Germany  in  Freeman's  Historical 
Course,  which  is  less  amusing.,  but 
concise  and  connected ;  they  gained 
much  light  upon  the  subject,  now 
that,  on  the  very  scene  of  their  lives, 
the  old  crusaders  and  emperors  seemed 
like  real  people,  and  not  a  confused 
mass  of  puppets.  History,  without  any 
priggishness  or  affectation,  now  became 
a  pastime  with  them,  rather  than  hard 
work ;  they  were  always  wanting  to 
diverge  from  the  regular  route  of 
their  journeys,  to  some  place  where  somebody  they  had  read  of 
had  done  something.  This  would  have  made  their  course  a  somewhat 
crooked  journey,  if  all  their  wishes  had  been  carried  out ;  they  had, 
therefore,  to   select,  and  leave   much   to  the  future. 

Before   leaving    Frankfort,    Miss    Lejeune   and    Mary,    escorted    by 

Mr.  W ,  the  consul,  spent  a  day  in  going  to  Darmstadt,  to  see  the 

famous  Holbein  Madonna,  now  conceded  to  be  the  real  first  picture 
of  two  which  are  so  much  alike;  that  only  a  careful  study,  or  compari- 
son of  their  photographs,  (shows   the   differences.       The  other,   in   the 


HKNKY     VII. 


176 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT, 


gallery  at  Dresden  where  they  would  see  it  by  and  by,  was  long 
considered  to  be  the  original,  but  at  the  great  Holbein  celebration, 
when  all  his  pictures  were  collected  in  Dresden,  the  verdict  of  the 
judges  was  unanimously  in  favor  of  the  Darmstadt  picture  as  the 
original,  and    most  critics    consider     the      Dresden   one  to  be  only  a 

copy  by  one  of  Holbein's  scholars, 
although  others  think  it  was  paint- 
ed later,  by  him. 

On  arriving  at  Darmstadt,  they 
first  went  to  the  picture  gallery, 
and  from  there  to  the  palace  occu- 
pied by  the  Grand-duke.  They 
were  admitted  by  a  servant  in  liv- 
ery, to  whom  they  said  they  came 
to  see  the  Holbein  picture.  After 
waiting  a  few  moments,  while  he 
went  to  ask  admission  for  them, 
they  were  shown  into  a  prettily 
furnished  library.  Crochet-work 
with  the  needle  in  it,  just  laid 
down,  a  letter  on  the  desk,  half- 
written,  the  ink  not  yet  dry, 
showed  that  the  family  had  but 
just  left  the  room  for  the  purpose 
of  letting  them  see  the  picture, 
and  would  return  as  soon  as  they 
had  left.  The  effect  of  the  picture  as  part  of  the  furniture  of  a  liv- 
ing-room, instead  of  being  in  a  stiff  picture  gallery,  or  unused  palace 
ball,  was  charming;  and  it  left  a  very  pleasant  impression  on  their 
minds  of  the  royal  family,  with  Holbein's  lovely  and  benign  Madonna 
as  a  constant  companion  during  their  daily  life. 

This  picture  was  painted  by  Holbein  for  the  burgomaster  Jacob 
Meyer,  of  Basle.  According  to  a  family  tradition,  the  youngest  son 
of  the  burgomaster,  who  was  sick,  even  unto  death,  through  the 
intercession  of  the  Virgin  was  restored  to  his  parents;  and  they  in  grati- 


KAKL   IV. 


JEWS  QUARTEB,  FBANKFORT. 


177 


MR.  HERVEY. 


179 


mm 


tude,  dedicated  this  offering  to  her.  She  stands  on  a  pedestal  in  a 
richly  ornamented  niche ;  over  her  long,  fair  hair,  which  falls  down  her 
shoulders  to  her  waist,  she  wears  a  superb  crown  ;  and  her  robe,  of  a 
dark,  greenish-blue,  is  confined  by  %  crimson  girdle.  For  its  purity, 
dignity,  and  peace,  the  face,  once  seefr,  haunts  the  memory.  The  child  in 
her  arms  is  generally  supposed  to 
be  the  infant  Christ;  some  people 
have  fancied  that  it  might  be  in- 
tended for  the  little  sick  child 
recommended  to  her  mercy.  To 
the  right  of  the  Virgin,  kneels  the 
burgomaster  Meyer  with  two  of  his 
sons,  one  of  whom  holds  his  little 
brother  who  is  restored  to  health. 
On  the  left  kneel  four  female 
figures,  —  of  the  mother,  grand- 
mother, and  two  daughters.  All 
these  are  portraits  of  the  real 
people. 

They  noticed  in  the  room  a  little 
paper-weight,  with  the  words 
"  Alice,  from  Victoria,"  which,  with 
other  little  home-touches,  brought 
more  strongly  to  their  minds  than 
ever  before,  the  fact  that  roj'al 
families  are  also  real  families,  and 
that  queens  give  little  birthday 
presents  and  mementos  to  their  daughters,  just  the  same  as  other  people  do. 

The  princess,  who  used  to  live  there,  was  the  daughter  of  Queen 
Victoria.  She  married  the  present  Duke  of  Hesse,  who  owns  the 
picture,  and  they  had  several  children  ;  and  when  one  of  the  little 
children  had  diphtheria,  like  any  good,  loving  mother,  she  insisted  upon 
nursing  her  suffering  little  child  until  it  got  well.  But  the  fatigue 
was  too  much  for  the  mother;  the  disease  entered  her  system,  and 
she  herself  died  two  days  afterward.     This  was  several  years  ago. 


MAXIMILIAS 


180  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

One  day  before  they  left  Frankfort,  Tommy,  to  his  great  delight, 
received  a  long  letter  from  Mr.  Hervey.  It  was  from  Hamburg  and 
contained  a  photograph  of  a  market-woman  in  the  costume  which  is- 
still  somewhat  worn  there. 

Mr.  Hervey  was  charmed  with  the  bright,  clean,  busy  town ;  he  de- 
scribed to  the  boys  the  broad  streets  on  the  Alster,  which  have  houses  on 
one  side  only,  the  other  being  open  to  the  water,  where  against  the  solid 
stone  embankment  are  boats,  fastened  by  a  ring,  belonging  to  the 
families  who  live  in  these  houses.  It  makes  a  lovely  place  to  live.  These 
sheets  of  water  are  most  picturesque,  and  there  are  quantities  of  swans, 
that  have  been  there,  or  their  ancestors,  for  centuries,  because  a  wealthy 
old  lady  made  a  bequest,  by  which  they  can  be  well  taken  care  of. 

"Think  of  Beacon  street  in,  Boston,"  wrote  Mr.  Hervey,  "if  there 
were  no  houses  on  the  water-side,  and  a  broad  esplanade,  and  pleasure- 
boats  always  at  hand;  and  if  Mrs.  Chevenix  would  leave  a  bequest 
in  her  will  to  have  Charles  River  always  full  of  swans  ! " 

Mr.  Hervey  had  been  to  London  since  they  parted  from  him,  and 
came  over  from  London  to  Hamburg  in  a  steamer,  sailing  down  the 
Thames,  and  crossing  the  German  ocean.  He  found  it  a  very  pretty 
trip,  and  one  that  they  would  find  interesting  if  it  came  in  their  way. 
He  had  sailed  up  the  Elbe  to  Hamburg  towards  night,  passing  the 
prett}r  little  island  of  Heligoland  before  dark. 


j.i  l .  1 < . 1 1 1 .  a  n  :  > 


WEIMAB.  181 


CHAPTER   XIX. 


WEIMAR. 


TH  E  Homers  stayed  in  Frankfort  until  after  the  first  of  January,  and 
then,  having  by  this  time  pretty  well  decided  what  towns  in  Ger- 
many they  most  wished  to  visit,  or  rather  which  places  they  were  least 
willing  to  give  up,  they  passed  the  rest  of  the  winter  in  going 
from  one  to  another,  always  with  some  fixed  object  in  view,  whether  it 
were  a  site  of  historic  interest,  a  famous  gallery,  or  even  only  one  cele- 
brated picture.  It  will  not  do  to  give  a  precise  account  of  each  excur- 
sion, nor  to  endeavor  to  keep  the  track  of  their  time-table,  their  various 
hotels,  apartments  and  houses  in  Germany.  We  will  only  pick  out  the 
plums  of  their  pudding,  and  leave  the  rest  to  the  guide-books.  Every- 
thing relating  to  nature  and  picturesque  scenery,  they  tried  to  postpone 
until  spring  ;  but  winter  travelling  in  Germany  is  not  uncomfortable,  and 
luckily  the  season  was  exceptionally  mild.  Their  greatest  discomfort 
was  the  hot,  un-aired  stuffiness  of  the  railroad  wagons,  —  the  Germans 
having  a  deeply-rooted  antipathy  to  open  windows  and  draughts.  Some- 
times, when*there  was  no  nicht-rauchen-Wagen  to  be  had,  the  smoke  of 
cigars  in  a  small  compartment  with  all  the  windows  shut,  was  quite  intol- 
erable ;  but  the  Homers,  great  and  small,  were  learning  the  true  philos- 
ophy of  travel:  to  enjoy  conveniences  and  not  mind  discomfort;  and,  as 
we  have  said  before,  good  digestion,  and  a  wise  attention  to  sensible  and 
regular  food,  supplementing,  or  supported  by,  good  breeding  and  amiable 
dispositions,  secured  for  them  the  power  of  practicing  this  philosophy. 
Everywhere  they  won  golden  opinions  of  their  fellow-travellers,  and  in 
long  trips  became  known  as  t  lie  i(  liebenswiirdige  A  merikaner,"  than  which 
no  praise  can  be  found  higher  in  the  German  tongue.  Liebenswurdig  is 
to  be  translated  "  amiable,"'  bnt  it  means  far  more  than  our  word,  either 


182 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


from  its  innate  force,  or  because  the  Germans  attach  more  importance  to 
the  quality  than  do  more  emotional  nations. 

Without,  therefore,  saying  exactly  how  they  got  there,  or  how  long 
they  stayed  in  each  place,  we  will  note  the  chief  things  of  interest  they 
saw  in  the  next  three  months ;  they  were  looking  forward,  as  soon  as 
the  spring  opened,  to  a  week  in  Eisenach,  for  which  they  were 
determined  to  wait  for  lovely  out-door  weather. 

Now  Miss  Lejeune  had  once  spent  a  whole  winter  in  the  small  but 
celebrated  town  of  Weimar.  It  was  here  that  she  had  acquired  her 
prowess  in  the  language,  and  her  fondness,  often  rebuked,  for  every  form 
of  sausage  which  is  known  to  the  German  mind.  It  was  on  account  of 
this  that  she  was  always  ready  to  defend,  and  maintain  with  proofs,  the 
excellence  of  the  German  cuisine,  and  the  neatness  of  the  German  man- 
age ; — endless  discussion,  always  without  conversion  on  either  side,  and 
only  to  be  broken  off  by  the  concession, 

"  Well,  jour  experience  of  German  families  must  have  been  very  dif- 
ferent from  mine." 

Miss  Lejeune  not  only  longed  to  see  Weimar  once  more,  but  to  renew 

her  affectionate  intercourse  with 
the  many  friends  she  had  made 
there ;  so,  while  the  main  body 
of  our  little  arm}-  passed  on  t« 
Leipsic,  she  stopped  with  Marjf 
at  Weimar. 

It  was  before  they  separated 
that,  between  Erfurt  and  Gotha 
they  had  an  excellent  glimpse  of 
the  Drei  Gleichen  castles,  about 
which  Mary  roughly  translated  aloud  this  account,  as  they  rode  along, 
from  a  funny  little  German  guide  for  Thuringia :  —  § 

"  History  mentions  first  the  Margrave  Eckbert  II.,  of  Thuringia,  as 
their  owner.  As  he  was  opposed  to  Henry  IV.,  this  emperor  beseiged 
his  castle,  in  1088,  but  in  vain,  for  an  attack  from  it  forced  him  to  a 
shameful  retreat.  Afterwards  it  came  into  the  powerful  family  of  the 
Counts  von  Gleichen,  one  of  whom  was  Count  Ernest,  who,  in  1237,  took 


DIIEI    GLEICHEN. 


WEIMAR.  185 

the  cross  under  Frederick  II.,  but  was  imprisoned  by  the  Saracens  for 
life  ;  but  the  sultan's  daughter  Melechsala  freed  him,  because  she  loved 
him,  and  urged  him  to  fly  with  her.  He  willingly  consented,  after  he 
had  convinced  himself  that  without  this  step  he  should  never  regain  his 
freedom ;  and,  as  both  the  Pope,  and  the  countess,  his  spouse,-  accepted 
the  situation,  so  was  the  double  bond  soon  effected.  The  house  at  the 
foot  of  the  berg  is  called  the  "Joy-valley,"  because  the  countess  came 
here  to  meet  her  husband  returning  with  his  new  companion,  and  they  all 
three  embraced  each  other  full  of  joy." 

"  I  believe  that  the  tradition  is  that  each  wife  lived  in  one  of  the 
castles  by  herself,  and  the  count  in  the  third,"  said  Miss  Lejeune. 

"Mamma!"  exclaimed  Bessie,  "that  story  is  all  in  your  Musaeus 
book,  that  we  used  to  look  at  the  pictures  in  so  much,  long  before  we 
knew  an}'  German.  Do  not  }Tou  remember  ?  I  do  ;  the  very  same  name 
of  Melechsala,  and  the  pictures  of  Grand  Cairo  and  Turks  and  Eastern 
things." 

"  I  remember  the  book  perfectly,"  answered  her  mother,  'Musaeus' 
VoIks7ndrchen,  but  I  do  not  recollect  that  story." 

"  It  was  a  long  story,  and  you  never  read  us  the  whole  of  it.  I  dare 
say  it  was  stupid,  but  I  remember  the  pictures.  I  mean  to  look  it  up 
when  we  go  home,  because  now  I  can  read  it  myself." 

They  had  now  reached  the  station  at  Weimar,  about  one  mile  from  the 
town  ;  here  they  parted. 

Miss  Augusta  naturally  felt  so  much  at  home  that  she  did  not  hesitate 
thus  to  separate  herself  from  the  rest,  but  witli  Mary,  who  was  delighted 
at  tins  little  escapade  by  themselves,  she  went  at  once  to  the  Erb-prinzen 
Hotel,  where  she  found  herself  still  remembered. 

Weimar  is  a  more  characteristic  German  town  than  Frankfort,  and, 
indeed,  than  most  of  the  large  towns  frequented  by  routine  travellers. 

"All  the  time,"  wrote  Mary  to  Bessie,  " while  aunt  Gus  is  being 
liebeuswnrdig  with  her  Germans,  I  am  learning  my  way  about  Weimar. 
By  the  way,  it  is  good  to  have  my  own  Baedeker  !  The  little  plan  of  the 
town  is  excellent,  as  we  found  at  Frankfort.  I  must  tell  you  about  it, 
for  you  have  no  idea  how  pretty  it  is.  From  our  hotel  we  look  across 
the  market-place  to  an  old  archway,  which  files  of  soldiers  are  going 


186 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


through  constantly,  and  on  the  other  side  is  a  huge  paved  place,  with  the 
Schloss  where  the  grand-duke  lives,  with  a  tall  tower,  and  a  clock  that 
strikes  hours  and  halves  and  quarters.  The  grand-duke's  band  was 
playing  Tannhauser  while  I  was  dressing  this  morning.     This  palace  turns 

«its  back  upon  the 
town,  but  looks 
forth  upon  a  broad 
and  lovely  park, 
with  the  Ilm  run- 
ning through  it.  It 
is  wilder  than  Cen- 
tral Park,  and  full 
of  little  nooks  and 
mossy  corners. 
Aunt  Gus  and  I 
walked  there  Sun- 
day ;  it  was  a  warm, 
spring-like  day,  with 
the  frost  coming  out 
of  the  ground.  We 
strayed  about  the 
paths  and  plucked 
little  daisies  still  in 
bloom,  not  great 
bumping  ones,  like 
ours,  but  delicate 
English  daisies. 

"  This  morning 
early  aunt  Gus  called 
out   to  me,    '  Look 

STATUES   OF   GOETHE   AND    SCHILLEK   AT  AVEIMAK.  OUt     of     W  i  11  d  O  W  , 

Mary  ! '  and  there 
I  beheld  the  Platz,  which  has  been  as  still  as  a  desert  before, 
all  alive  and  swarming  with  the  market,  which  comes  twice  a 
week.      We  went  out  and  prowled  about;    it  was  so  exactly  like  a  scene 


LEIPSIC:    ST.    NICHOLAS    CHUIiCH. 


187 


WEIMAR. 


189 


on  the  stage,  that  when  the  band  began  to  play  on  the  balcony  of  the 
Rath-hans,  we  felt  as  if  we  were  in  an  opera  and  must  take  attitudes  and 
begin  to  sing.  The  women  sat  in  long  rows  with  queer  things  to  sell, 
yarns  and  calico,  real  flowers  and  wreaths  of  dyed  immortelles  and  paper 
roses,  and  fearful  looking  things  to  eat,  some  of  them  dipped  up  out  of  a 
barrel.  Most  of  the  women  had  live  geese  sitting  by  them,  and  there 
were  a  great  many  dogs. 

"  Last  evening  we  went  to  the  opera  and  heard  the  Meister  Singer, 
delightfully  played  and  sung  and  acted,  and  before  we  saw  '  Ein  Lustspiel.' 
It  is  the  original  of  Mrs.  Walthrop's  Boarders.     Aunt  Gus  is  surprised 


KATIi-HAUS,    LEIPSIC. 


to   find    the    town    much     changed    and     built    up    with    new    houses 
since  she  was    here/' 

In  Weimar  they  heard  more  of  Goethe  and  Schiller,  and  saw  thestatue 
of  the  two  which  stands  in  the  place  before  the  theatre.  Here  also 
lived  Wieland  and  Herder,  and  oilier  men  of  literary  fame,  all  of  whom 
shared  in  the  great  days  of  Weimar,  under  the  munificent  and  discrimi- 
nating Grand-duke  Carl  August,  always  referred  to  as  the  Groat-Grand- 
duke,  although  his  presenl  successorisa  patron  of  music,  and  art,  keeping 


190  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

up  the  reputation  of  the  little  town  for  culture  and  aesthetic  taste.  The 
theatre  is  most  excellent,  and  Miss  Lejeune  and  Mary  went  often,  for,  as 
the  performance  begins  as  early  as  six  and  is  often  over  by  nine,  they 
could  do  this  without  neglecting  other  invitations. 

Meanwhile  the  others  passed  several  days  in  a  very  good  hotel  at 
Leipsic,  sight-seeing,  practicing  their  German,  and  going  through  the 
Museum,  where  they  chiefly  enjoyed  four  beautiful  landscapes  by 
Calame,  and  where  Mr.  Horner  found  himself  confronted  by  his  favorite 
Napoleon,  depicted  forcibly  by  Delaroche  in  the  sad  moment  of  his  fall 
at  Fontainebleau.  Mr.  Horner  and  Philip  devoted  a  long  morning  to  a 
careful  survey  of  the  battle-field  where  culminated  the  triumph  of  the 
allied  armies  over  their  once  invincible  enemy. 

The  famous  battle  of  Leipsic  lasted  four  days,  beginning  in  the  morn- 
ing of  October  16,  1813.  Until  the  19th  the  French  kept  up  their  old 
renown,  but  in  spite  of  all  their  efforts  the}^  were  forced  back,  and  at  dawn 
on  the  19th  their  retreat  began.  A  large  part  of  their  army  had  not  yet 
crossed  the  Elster  when  the  only  bridge  open  to  them  was,  probably  by 
mistake,  blown  up.  Thousands  of  the  French  perished  by  drowning ; 
and  upwards  of  fifteen  thousand  were  made  prisoners. 

A  few  hours  afterwards  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  King  Frederick 
William  of  Germany,  and  the  Emperor  Francis  of  Austria,  triumphantly 
entered  Leipsic,  and  the  deliverance  of  Germany  from  Napoleon  was 
now  secured. 

"While  Philip  and  his  father  were  thus  engaged,  Mrs.  Horner  indulged 
Bessie  and  Tommy  in  their  favorite  pursuit  of  wandering  about  the 
streets  looking  into  shop  windows,  their  nominal  object  being  the  head- 
quarters of  the  celebrated  "  Tauchnitz  editions  "  of  English  books.  It 
was  with  some  difficulty  they  discovered  the  place,  and  then  only  to  find 
to  their  disappointment,  as  has  happened  to  many  other  inquiring  trav- 
ellers, that  the  books  there  produced  are  not  sold  excepting  to  book- 
sellers. They  then  went  back  to  the  very  book-shop  where  they  had 
received  the  direction  for  finding  the  Tauchnitz  place,  and  there  bought 
several  fresh  numbers  of  this  light  and  agreeably  printed  series,  greatly 
wondering  at  the  intricacies  of  the  German  mind,  which  had  deterred 
this  salesman  from  saving  them  the  trouble  of  a  futile  pilgrimage. 


WEIMAR. 


191 


Leipsic  is  a  clean  and  pretty  town,  but  essentially  modern,  with  no 
monuments  of  especial  interest.  The  Homers  thought  the  graceful 
Spires  of  Halle,  where  they  were  left  for  two  or  three  hours  one  day, 
made  that  a  more  picturesque  and  attractive  place  than  the  larger  city. 


HALLE :   THE   MAKKET-I'LACE. 


192 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


DRESDEN. 


ON  an  appointed  day,  the  Homers  were  assembled  in  the  large  wait- 
ing-room of  the  modern-looking  railway-station  at  Leipsic,  and 
when  the  train  was  heard  approaching  they  were  allowed  to  come 
through  the  gates  upon  the  platform,  where  they  stood  for  a  moment, 
bags  and  shawl-straps  in  hand,  as  the  long  row  of  wagons  swept  up  and 
stopped.     Mr.  Horner  and  Bessie  stood  together,  while  at  a  little  dis- 


DRESDEN  :     BKIDGE    OVER   THE    ELBE. 


tance  were  Mrs.  Horner  with  her  two  sons,  —  Philip  manfully  straggling 
with  two  large  packages  and  an  umbrella,  Tommy  almost  hidden  behind 
a  huge  bouquet,  a  parting  present  from  the  gracious  landlady  of  their 
hotel. 

Miss  Lejeune  and  Mary  were  looking  out  for  them  from  the  window 


DRESDEN.  196 

of  their  carriage,  and  could  hardly  wait  for  the  Schaffner  to  throw  open 
the  door. 

"  Here  they  are  !  "  "  Here  we  are  !  "  all  exclaimed. 

"  Come  in  here,  papa !  "  cried  Mary  ;  "  we  have  plenty  of  room.  We 
have  guarded  this  wagon  from  the  people  like  tigers !  " 

And  in  they  huddled,  overjoyed  to  meet  again  after  a  separation  of  ten 
longda}rs.  Shawl-straps  were  poked  up  on  the  netting  over  their  heads. 
Papa's  tall  hat  was  there  relegated,  while  a  soft  cap  took  its  place  on  his 
head. 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Mrs.  Horner,  "  to  think  that  we  should  meet  with- 
out any  mistake !     I  think  we  are  born  travellers." 

Now  all  began  to  talk  at  once  and  to  tell  their  experiences,  more 
desirous  of  being  listened  to  than  to  listen  ;  but  Miss  Lejeune  and  Mary 
were  fresher  than  the  others,  who  had  been  going  about  all  the  morning 
for  last  things  in  Leipsic  and  packing :  thus  Mary  held  tne  floor. 

"  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  two  American  ladies  who  came  from 
Weimar  with  us.  We  heard  they  had  been  spending  the  winter  there, 
and  all  their  friends  came  down  to  the  station  to  meet  them.  Such  a 
crowd,  and  such  kissing  and  waving  and  cries  of  '  Auf  wiedersehen  ! '  I 
should  think  it  was  the  whole  German  nation  bidding  them  good-bye. 
One  of  them  had  a  large  bouquet ;  just  like  yours,  Tommy,  that  you 
have  there,  all  in  stiff  circles  with  paper  round  it." 

"  They  talked  German  remarkably  well,"  said  Miss  Lejeune.  "  I 
heard  about  them  in  Weimar  ;  there  are  five  of  them  in  all,  but  the 
others  stayed  behind." 

"Five  women  travelling  together;  just  fancy!"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Horner.     "  How  they  must  quarrel !  " 

"  I  believe  not,"  said  Miss  Lejeune,  "  though  one  would  think  so. 
They  came  out  to  improve  themselves  in  languages,  music,  painting, 
and  so  on,  and  man  sagt  in   Weimar  they  were  very  liebenswiirdig." 

"Perhaps  we  shall  fall  in  with  them  again  somewhere,"  remarked 
Mr.  Horner. 

"Oh,  Mary!"  cried  Philip,  "I  saw  Cocky  wax !  He  was  in  Leip- 
sic ! " 

"Philip!"  said  his  mother  reprovingly.     She  objected  to  this  nick- 


196  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

name  which    Philip    had  found  for  the  young  Mr.  Buffers  who  was  with 
them  on  the    steamer. 

"I  met  him  in  the  street,"  went  on  Philip,  " and  he  seemed  mighty 
glad  to  see  me.  He  kept  saying  over  and  over  again,  '  What 
a  delightful  voyage  we  had ;  how  are  your  sisters  ?  Yes,  that  was  a 
delightful  voyage  ! ' ' 

Philip  gave  a  prett}r  good  imitation  of  the  embarrassed,  awkward 
manner  of  the  youth  Buffers,  which  made  his  family  laugh.     Mary  said : 

"  Well,  he  is  a  nice    boy,  and  I  should  like  to  see  him  again/' 

"I  told  him  our  hotel,"  continued  Philip,  "and  I  think  that  if  you 
had  been  with  us  he  would  have  called.  He  considers  you  his  patron 
saint  in   the  family." 

"  Saint  Mary  of  Cocky  wax,"  said  Bessie,  adding  scornfully,  "  I 
do  not  believe  he  considers  me  his  patron  saint." 

"  I  never  observed  that  he  took  any  particular  notice  of  you," 
retorted  Philip. 

"  Come,  come,  children,  do  not  quarrel,"  said  the  mamma.  Bessie 
and  Philip,  or  Jack,  as  they  called  him  half  the  time,  were  excellent 
friends,  but  so  near  in  age  that  they  sometimes    roughed  each   other. 

Soon  they  were  approaching  Dresden,  as  so  often  they  had  before 
drawn  near  large  cities,  in  the  glowing  western  light.  The  flowing 
river,  with  its  ample  bridges,  makes  a  beautiful  town  of  it,  as  well  as 
the  handsome  buildings  with  which  it  is  plentifully  provided. 

In  Dresden  they  remained  some  time,  for  there  was  much  to  see. 
They  were  established  in  one  of  the  large  hotels  in  the  middle  of 
the  town,  and  for  the  first  time  joined  the  table  d'hote  dinner,  in- 
stead of  being  supplied,  as  in  Paris,  in  their  own  rooms.  They 
found,  for  a  change,  some  amusement  in  the  variety  of  characters  they 
thus  met.  The  table  held  no  more  than  twenty  guests  of  different 
nationalities,  among  whom  German  was  the  least  represented.  In 
fact,  the  Homers  congratulated  themselves  that  they  had  secured 
some  familiarity  with  German  at  the  other  towns  they  had  visited, 
before  coming  to  Dresden ;  for  it  is  so  over-run  with  English  and 
Americans  that,  even  in  the  pensions,  their  language  is  as  much  spoken 
as    the  native  one.      In  the   shops    and    streets    English  is  constantly 


M  UMINV.V    Di:    SAX     SISTO. 


L9; 


KNAMKL    FRAME    IN   THE   filtEEN    VAULT. 


heard ;  and,  except  that,  from  preference,  they  all,  except  Mrs.  Hor- 
ner, chose  to  exercise  their  skill  in  talking  German,  they  could  have 
done  perfectly  well  without  a  knowledge  of  it. 


200  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

There  was  a  party  of  second-rate  English  at  their  table,  whose 
chief  occupation  consisted  in  staring,  especially  at  the  Homers.  Very 
likely  this  was  the  first  time  they  had  seen  civilized  Americans,  and 
that  they  were  on  the  look-out  for  some  traces  of  Indian  manners  and 
customs.  As  the  Homers  were  perfectly  well  trained  in  the  use 
of  the  knife  and  fork  and  other  modern  utensils,  the  starers  found 
very  little  to  gratify  them  ;  hut  once  Phil  heard  one  of  the  daugh- 
ters say  out  quite  loud  to  another,  "  She  has  eaten  her  push-piece  !  " 
Phil  turned  round  to  look  at  Bessie,  on  whom  the  four  eyes  had 
been  glued.  She  was  just  finishing  her  fish,  and  had  ended,  very 
improperly,  by  putting  the  piece  of  bread  in  her  mouth  which  she  had 
been  using.  This  was  ever  after  called  the  "push-piece  "  by  the  Hom- 
ers ;  and  these  people  went  by  the  title  of  the  Push-pieces,  whenever 
they  were  referred  to  ;  but  they  never  saw  them  again,  for  they  left 
the  very   next    day. 

The  Grosse-Garten  was  already  attractive  on  some  of  the  spring 
days  in  the  end  of  February.  The  Green  Vault  amazed  some  of 
them  with  a  mass  of  jewelry,  mosaic,  crowns,  and  other  splendors;  but 
the  Zwinger,  on  account  of  the  celebrated  picture-gallery  it  contains, 
was  the  place  to  which  they  devoted  the  most  time,  and  where 
Mary  and   Miss  Lejeune    continued    their  study  of   the  old  masters. 

Naturally  the  first  picture  they  sought  Avas  the  other  Holbein  Ma- 
donna ;  and  Mary  thought  she  could  remember  that  the  Darmstadt 
one  was  superior  in  execution  and  intention:  but  so  much  might  be 
due  to  having  seen  that  first,  she  was  willing  to  allow  that  her 
judgment  was  not  worth  much. 

Mrs.  Horner  took  intense  pleasure  in  the  renowned  Madonna  di 
San  Sisto,  by  Raphael.  It  had  been,  through  engraving  and  photo- 
graph, her  favorite  picture  for  years.  She  was  willing  to  sit  before 
the  large  picture,  lending  herself  to  a  kind  of  dream  as  she  gazed 
npon  it,  thus  rather  irritating  the  more  fastidious  judgment  of  Miss 
Lejeune,  who  no  longer  concedes  the  first  place  among  artists  to 
Raphael. 

Miss  Lejeune,  however,  was  capable  of  deviating  from  the  narrow 
paths   of   the    Pre-Raphaelites,  for    she    confessed    to     considering  the 


8 


-  X- . 'T-~ ' ■■■»  f-»« 


J 


DRESDEN.  203 

Magdalen  of  Battoni,  also  in  the  Dresden  gallery,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful    pictures    in   the   world  ;     and    this    is    decidedly    modern. 

In  this  gallery  Mary  renewed  her  search  for  the  masters  of  the 
old  schools.  She  lingered  oyer  the  oldest  pictures,  seeking  to  learn 
in  what  their  charm  consisted,  and  rejoiced  to  find  that  she  really 
could  like  them,  and  that  affectation  would  consist  in  calling  them 
"horrid  old  things,"  which  many  young  Americans  feel  called  upon 
to  do    to    avoid    the    very    imputation. 

It  was  very  odd  to  the  Homers  to  come  in  Saxony  upon  a 
royal  family  and  royal  state,  playing  at  king  and  queen  in  a  baby- 
house,  as  Bessie  called  it.  Although,  as  they  remembered,  by  the 
union  of  Germany,  Kaiser  William  was  declared  emperor  of  the 
whole  of  it,  in  the  Hall  of  Mirrors  at  Versailles,  in  1871,  the  kings, 
grand-dukes,  and  dukes  of  the  uniting  parts  retain  all  their  titles  and 
their  ancient  rights,  something  like  the  separate  government  of  our 
States  under  the  President ;  thus,  at  Weimar,  the  grand-duke  holds 
his  own  court,  and  receives  an  ambassador  from  the  imperial  court  at 
Berlin.  At  Dresden  they  often  saw  the  royal  family  and  the  king 
and  queen  of  Saxony  driving  out  in  state.  The  royal  family  of 
Saxony  are  Catholics ;  and  Passion  Week,  which  took  place  while 
the  Homers  were  in  Dresden,  was  observed  with  much  solemnity. 
The  shops  were  closed,  the  churches  were  open  ;  the  services  were 
very  impressive,  even  to  children  of  Puritan  descent.  On  Easter 
Sunday,  'especially,  the  cathedral  ceremony  was  long  and  solemn, 
but  to  their  minds,  in  spite  of  the  fine    music,  tedious. 

But  all  Germany  defers  to  the  glory  of  the  Emperor  William,  and 
the  Homers  heard  so  much  of  the  beloved  Kaiser  that  they  longed 
for    Berlin,   where    lie    was   to    be    seen    in    nil    his    splendor. 

"But,"  said  Bessie,  "lie  is  only  a  parvenu  kind  of  emperor.  I  do 
not  consider  him  a  descendant  of  our  Barbarossa  at  all.  I  think  the 
Austrian   emperors  are  more    like    that." 

"True,"  said  her  father,  "but  you  must  remember  that  Francis 
IT.  formally  resigned   the   imperial  crown,   in   1806." 

"Because  your  favorite  Napoleon  frightened  him  to  death,"  resumed 
Bessie.     "I    consider    that    to    be    the    real    end    of    German    history, 


204 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


just  like  the  end  of  a  novel  ;  and  this  empire,  which  the  Kaiser  has 
started,   is    not  so    old  a  nation    as   the    United    States." 

"  Do  not  say  that  in  Berlin,  or,  if  you  do,  do  not  use  your  best 
German,  or  you  may  be  arrested  for  seditious  sentiments,"  said  Mr. 
Horner  good-humoredly. 

Spring  was  really  come,  and  in  the  first  tender  days,  when  every- 
thing is  pink  and  yellow,  and  soft  vague  green,  before  the  leaves 
have  hidden  the  grace  of  the  branches,  the  Homers  spent  a  week 
in  "  Saxon  Switzerland,"  which  is  the  name  the  country  goes  by 
about  Dresden.  They  stayed  at  a  pleasant  little  inn  at  Schandau, 
close  upon  the  river  Elbe,  and  from  here  made  excursions,  as  the 
weather  allowed,  chiefly  on  foot,  to  the  points  of  interest  about  them. 

This  return  to  out-door  life  and  to  the  attractions  of  nature,  was  pleas- 
ing to  all  of  them.  They  rejoiced  greatly  when  the  first  of  May  ap- 
proached, and  they  broke  up  camp  in  Dresden  for  a  few  weeks  in  beautiful 
Eisenach.  "  I  declare,"  exclaimed  Bessie,  "  I  wish  never  to  see  a  church 
or  a  picture-gallery   again.     I  want   woods  and  castles  and  cataracts." 

"  And  no  dates  and  dynasties,"  added  Tommy. 


SAXOX    SWITZERLAND:    THE   PIUilUSCHTIIOli.    A    COLOSSAL    SATUliAL    ARCH. 


SAINT  ELIZABETH.  205 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


SAINT     ELIZABETH. 


IN  the  year  1207,  Andreas  II.  was  king  of  Hungary,  and  Hermann, 
the  patron  of  the  Minnesingers,  was  landgrave  of  Thuringia,  and 
held  his  court  in  the  castle  of  the  Wartburg. 

In  that  year,  the  queen  of  Hungary  had  a  daughter,  whose  birth 
was  announced  by  many  blessings  to  her  country  and  kindred  ;  for 
the  wars  which  had  distracted  Hungary  ceased,  and  peace  and  good- 
will reigned,  at  least  for  a  time ;  the  harvests  had  never  been  so 
abundant ;  crime,  injustice,  and  violence  had  never  been  so  infrequent 
as  in  that  fortunate  year.  Even  in  her  cradle,  Elizabeth  showed 
that  she  was  the  favorite  of  heaven.  She  was  never  known  to  weep 
from  crossness,  and  the  first  words  she  distinctly  uttered,  were  those 
of  prayer;  at  three  years  old,  she  was  known  to  give  away  her  toys 
and  take  off  her  rich  dresses  to  bestow  them  on  the  poor;  and  all  the 
land  rejoiced  in  her  early  wisdom,  goodness,  and  radiant  beauty. 

These  things  being  told  to  Hermann  of  Thuringia,  he  was  filled 
with  wonder,  and  exclaimed: 

"Would  to  God  that  this  fair  child  might  become  the  wife  of  my 
son!"  and  thereupon  he  sent  an  embassy  to  the  king  of  Hungary, 
to  ask  the  young  princess  in  marriage  for  his  son,  Prince  Louis, 
bearing  rich  presents.  His  messengers  were  hospitably  received,  and 
returned  to  the  Wartburg  with  the  little  princess,  who  was  then  four 
years  old.  The  king,  her  father,  bestowed  on  her  a  cradle  and  a  bath, 
each  of  fine  silver,  and  <>f  wondrous  workmanship  ;  and  silken  robes, 
curiously  embroidered  with  gold,  and  twelve  noble  maidens  to  attend 
upon  her. 

When  the  Princess  Elizabeth  arrived  at  the  castle  of  the  Wartburg, 


20ti 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


at  Eisenach,  she  was  received  with  infinite  rejoicings,  and  the  next 
day  she  was  solemnly  betrothed  to  the  young  Prince  Louis ;  and  the 
two  children  being  laid  in  the  same  cradle,  they  smiled  and  stretched 
out  their  little  arms  to  each  other,  which  thing  pleased  the  Landgrave 

Hermann  and  his 
wife  Sophia,  and  all 
the  ladies,  knights, 
and  minstrels  who 
were  present  regard- 
ed it  as  an  omen  of 
a  blessed  and  happy 
marriage. 

From  this  time  the 
children  were  not 
separated ;  they 
grew  up  together, 
and  every  day  they 
loved  each  other 
more  and  more. 
Louis  soon  perceived  that  his  Elizabeth  was  quite  unlike  all  the  other 
children  in  the  court ;  all  her  infant  thoughts  seemed  centred  on 
heavenly  things  ;  her  very  sports  were  heavenly,  as  though  the  angels 
were  her  playmates  ;  but  charity  and  compassion  for  the  suffering  poor, 
formed,  so  to  speak,  the  staple  of  her  life.  Everything  that  was  given 
to  her  she  gave  away,  and  she  collected  what  remained  from  the 
table,  and  saved  from  her  own  repasts  every  scrap  of  food,  which  she 
carried  in  a  basket  to  the  poor  children  of  Eisenach. 

As  long  as  the  Landgrave  Hermann  was  alive,  no  one  dared  tk 
oppose  the  young  Elizabeth  in  these  exercises  of  devotion  and  charity, 
but  he  died  when  she  was  about  nine  years  old,  and  Louis  sixteen, 
and  Elizabeth  having  thus  lost  in  him  a  father  and  protector,  became  a 
forlorn  stranger  in  her  adopted  home  ;  for  the  Landgravine  Sophia  dis- 
liked her,  her  future  sister,*  the  Princess  Agnes  openly  derided  her, 
and  the  other  ladies  of  the  court  treated  her  with  great  neglect. 
Meantime,   Louis,  her  betrothed,  was  watching   her  closely.     He  did 


DIE   WAKTBUKG   BEI   EISENACH. 


Tiih  waktbuhg:  castle  coukt. 


207 


SAINT  ELIZABETH.  209 

not  openly  show  her  any  attention,  and  had  some  doubts  whether  she 
were  not  too  far  above  him  in  her  austere,  though  geutle  piety.  But 
often  when  she  suffered  from  the  unkindness  of  others  he  would 
secretly  comfort  her,  and  dry  up  her  tears.  And  when  he  returned 
borne  after  an  absence,  he  would  bring  her  some  little  gift,  either 
a  rosary  of  coral,  or  a  little  silver  crucifix,  a  chain,  or  a  golden  pin, 
or  a  purse,  or  a  knife  ;  and  when  she  ran  out  to  meet  him  jo}-fully, 
he   would   take   her  in   his  arms  and   kiss   her  right  heartily. 

It  happened  on  one  occasion,  that  Louis  went  on  a  long  hunting 
excursion  with  some  neighboring  princes,  and  was  so  busy  with  his 
guests,  that  when  he  returned  he  brought  her  no  gift,  nor  did  he 
salute  her  as  usual.  Those  courtiers  who  were  the  enemies  of 
Elizabeth,  marked  this  well ;  she  saw  their  cruel  joy,  and  in  the 
bitterness  of  her  grief,  she  confided  it  to  her  old  friend  Walther, 
who  had  brought  her,  an  infant,  from  Hungary,  who  had  often 
nursed  her  in  his  arms,  and  who  loved  her  as  his  own  child.  A 
few  days  afterward,  this  Walther,  as  he  attended  the  landgrave  to 
the  chase,  asked  him  what  were  his  intentions  with  regard  to  the 
Lady   Elizabeth  : 

"For,"  said  he,  "it  is  thought  by  many  that  you  love  her  not,  and 
that  you  will  send  her  back  to   her  father." 

On  hearing  these  words,  Louis,  who  had  been  lying  on  the  ground 
to  rest,  started  to  his  feet,  and  throwing  his  hand  toward  the  lofty 
Inselberg   which  rose  before  them,  exclaimed  : 

"Seest  thou  yon  high  mountain?  If  it  were  all  of  pure  gold  from 
the  base  to  the  summit,  and  if  it  were  offered  to  me  in  exchange  for 
my  Elizabeth,  I  would  not  give  her  for  it.  No  ;  I  love  her  only,  and 
I  will  have  my  Elizabeth!"  Then  from  the  purse  which  hung  at 
his  belt,  he  drew  forth  a  little  silver  mirror,  curiously  wrought,  sur- 
mounted with  an  image  of  the  Saviour.  "  Give  her  this,"  he  added, 
"as  a  pledge   of  my   troth." 

Walther  hastened  to  seek  Elizabeth  with  the  gift  and  loving  message. 
She  smiled  an  angel  smile  and  kissed  the  mirror,  reverently  saluting 
the  image  of  Christ.  About  a  year  afterward  their  marriage  was 
solemnized   with   great   feasts   and  rejoicings   which   lasted    three  days. 


210  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

Louis  was  at  this  time  in  his  twentieth  year.  He  was  tall,  with  fail 
hair  and  blue  eyes,  and  a  noble  brow.  He  was  of  a  princely  temper, 
resolute,  yet  somewhat  bashful ;  and  he  was  faithful  to  his  Elizabeth 
to   the   hour   of  his  death. 

Elizabeth  was  not  quite  fifteen.  Her  beauty,  though  still  immature, 
was  that  of  her  race  and  country  ;  a  tall,  slender  figure,  a  clear  brown 
complexion,  large,  dark  eyes,  and  hair  black  as  night ;  her  eyes  glowed 
with  an  inward  light  of  love  and  charity,  and  were  often  moistened 
with  tears. 

She  loved  her  husband  tenderly,  but  she  carried  into  her  married 
life  the  austere  piety  which  had  distinguished  her  from  her  infancy  ; 
she  rose  in  the  night  to  pray,  kneeling  on  the  bare  ground  ;  she  wore 
hair-cloth  next  her  tender  skin,  and  would  scourge  herself,  and  cause 
her  ladies  to  scourge  her.  Louis,  sometimes  remonstrated,  but  he 
secretly  thought  that  he  and  his  people  were  to  benefit  by  the  sanctity 
of  his  wife.  She  was  always  cheerful  and  loving  to  him,  dressed  to 
please  him  and  often  rode  to  the  chase  with  him.  When  he  was 
away,  she  put  on  the  dress  of  a  widow  till  his  return,  when  she  would 
again  array  herself  in  her  royal  mantle,  and  meet  him  with  a  joyous 
smile. 

The  most  famous  story  about  her  is  that  one  day,  in  the  absence 
of  her  husband,  during  a  severe  winter,  she  left  her  castle  with  a  single 
attendant,  carrying  in  the  skirts  of  her  robe  a  supply  of  meat,  bread, 
and  eggs  to  a  poor  family ;  and  as  she  was  descending  the  frozen  and 
slippery  path,  her  husband,  returning  from  the  chase,  met  her  bending 
under  the  weight  of  her  charitable   burden. 

"What  dost  thou  here,  my  Elizabeth?"  he  said;  "let  us  see  what 
thou  art  carrying  away,"  and  she,  confused  and  blushing  to  be  so 
discovered,  pressed  her  mantle  to  her  bosom,  but  he  insisted,  and 
opening  her  robe,  he  beheld  only  red  and  white  roses,  more  beautiful 
and  fragrant  than  any  that  grow  on  this  earth,  even  at  summer-tide, 
and  it  was  now  the  depth  of  winter!  Then  he  was  about  to  embrace 
his  wife,  but  looking  in  her  face,  he  was  overawed  by  a  supernatural 
glory  which  seemed  to  emanate  from  every  feature,  and  he  dared  not 
touch  her  ;   he  bade  her  go  on  her  way  and  fulfill   her  mission. 


SAINT  ELIZABETH. 


211 


In  the  year  1226,  the  landgrave  Louis  accompanied  his  lord,  the 
emperor  Frederick  II.,  into  Italy.  In  the  same  year  a  terrible  famine 
afflicted  all  Germany,  and  Thiiringia  suffered  most  of  all.  Elizabeth 
distributed  to  the  poor  all  the  corn  in  the  royal  granaries.  Every 
day  a  certain  quantity  of  bread  was  baked,  and  she  herself  served 
it  out  to  the  people, 
who  thronged  around 
the  gates  of  the  castle, 
sometimes  to  the  num- 
ber of  nine  hundred  ; 
uniting  prudence  with 
charity,  she  so  arranged 
that  each  person  had 
his  just  share,  and  so 
husbanded  her  resources 
that  they  lasted  through 
the  summer  ;  wh  e  n 
harvest  time  came 
round,  she  sent  all  the 
people  to  the  fields  pro- 
vided with  scythes  and 
sickles,  and  to  every  man 
she  gave  a  shirt  and  a 
pair  of  shoes.  When 
the  plague  followed  tin- 
famine,  she  founded  two 
hospitals  in  Eisenach  ; 
went  herself  from  one 
to  the  other,  ministering 
to  the  inmates  with  a 
cheerful    countenance. 

In  the  following  year,  all  Europe  was  armed  for  the  third  crusade; 
and  Louis  must  join  the  banner  of  his  emperor,  lie  took  the  cross, 
with  many  other  princes  and  nobles  at  Ilildesheim  ;  but  on  his  way 
thence   to    Wartburg,  he   took  off  his   cross  and  put  it  into  his  purse, 


TIIK    I'AKIIM,. 


212  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

till  he  should  have  prepared  his  "wife  for  the  pain  of  parting,  —  but 
many  days  passed  away,  and  he  had  not  courage  to  tell  her.  One 
evening,  she  playfully  unbuckled  his  purse,  seeking  alms  for  her  poor; 
she  drew  forth  the  cross.  Too  well  she  knew  the  sign  ;  the  truth 
burst  upon  her,  and  she  swooned  at  his  feet. 

Tiiey  parted  with  tears.  The  landgrave  pursued  his  journey  toward 
Palestine,  but  at  Otranto  he  was  seized  with  a  fever  and  died.  He 
commanded  his  knights  and  counts  to  carry  his  body  home,  and  to 
defend  his  Elizabeth  and  Ins  children  with  their  life-blood,  if  need 
were,  from  all  wrong  and  oppression. 

But  now  the  eldest  brother  of  Louis,  Henry,  wickedly  took  possession 
of  his  lands,  and  banished  the  widow  and  children  from  the  Wartburg, 

It  was  winter-time,  and  the  snow  lay  upon  the  ground,  when  this 
daughter  of  kings  was  seen  slowly  descending  the  rough  path,  carrying 
a  new-born  baby  in  her  arms ;  her  women  followed  with  the  three 
children.  Henry  had  forbidden  any  one  to  harbor  her,  resolved  to 
drive  her  away  from  his  territory;  so  she  wandered  about  with  her 
children  till  she  at  last  found  refuge  in  a  poor  inn;  and  afterward 
supported  herself  by  spinning  wool. 

When  the  knights  returned  to  Thuringia,  bearing  the  remains  of 
Louis,  they  were  filled  with  indignation  at  what  had  happened.  They 
obliged  Henry  to  be  contented  with  the  title  of  regent  only,  gave 
young  Hermann,  the  son  of  Louis  and  Elizabeth,  his  father's  place, 
and  endowed  Elizabeth  with  the  city  of  Marbourg,  whither  she  retired 
with  her  daughters. 

And  here  she  might  have  ended  her  days  tranquilly,  but  for  the 
severe  tyranny  of  the  priest  Conrad,  her  confessor,  who  made  of  her 
life  one  long  penance.  Finally  he  dismissed  even  her  two  women, 
who  had  served  her  faithfully.  She  was  said  to  be  surrounded  by 
celestial  visitants;  that  the  blessed  Virgin  herself  deigned  to  converse 
with  her,  and  she  gradually  faded  away,  till,  laid  upon  her  last  bed, 
she  turned  her  face  to  the  wall  and  began  to  sing  hymns  with  a 
most  sweet  voice.  When  her  strength  failed,  she  uttered  the  word 
"silence,"  and  so  died.  She  had  just  completed  her  twenty-fourth 
-ear,  and  had  survived  her  husband  just  three  years  and  a  half. 


SAINT  ELIZABETH. 


*I8 


No  sooner  had  Elizabeth  breathed  her  last  breath  than  the  people 
surrounded  the  couch,  tore  away  her  robe  and  cut  off  her  hair  for 
relics.  Four  years  after  her  death  she  was  canonized  as  a  saint,  by 
the  Pope  ;  and  her  shrine,  in  the  church  of  Saint  Elizabeth,  at 
Marbourg,  has  been  venerated  and  visited  ever  since. 


FRIEDRICH    II.    PUTTING   ON   THE   CROWN   OF  JERUSALEM, 


*14 


A  FAMILY   FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


EISENACH. 


SUCH    is  the  charming   story  of   the  holy  Elizabeth,  told   by  Miss 
Lejeune    as   they  came    towards    Eisenach,    about    the  middle   of 
May.     The     spring    was   fairly    open,  the    weather    had    begun  to   be 

mild  and  love- 
ly ;  the  land- 
scape through 
which  the 
Homers  were 
passing  was  de- 
liriously fresh. 
with  delicate 
green  tints. 
All  promised 
them  a.delight- 
iul  country 
week. 

The  station 
was  reached. 
The  family 
climbed  into 
droschkys,  the 
baggage  fol- 
lowed, and 
they  rumbled 
along  over  the 

THE    STORKS    AliE    HERE:"    CRIED   TOMMY.  TOUgh     StOIie 


EISENACH. 


215 


pavement,  under  the  old  arch  of  the  Nicholas  Gate,  and  found 
themselves  in  the  quaintest  and  most  picturesque  German  town 
they  had  yet  seen.  Their  hotel  was  on  one  side  of  a  sort  of 
square  which  was  all  up-hill ;  the  red-tiled  and  gabled  roof  of 
each  house  made  a  step  up  from  its  lower  neighbor  ;  the  houses 
were  painted  different  colors,  and  gaily -striped  awnings  increased 
the  variety  of  tint.  Behind  and  above  all,  exactly  like  the  back- 
scene  at  the  theatre,  rose  the  Wartburg,  with  the  pretty  castle 
on  its  summit,  near  and  yet  far,  for  while  it  seemed  to  overhang 
them,  it  still  looked  small  with  distance.  When  they  arrived,  it 
was  toward  evening,  and  the  castle  glowed  with  pink  light  and 
violet  shadows.  It  was  an  ideal  castle,  just  fit  for  the  home  of 
Saint  Elizabeth.  Every  Hor- 
ner, old  and  young,  was  full 
of  rejoicing.  They  had  a  good 
German  supper,  and  went  to 
bed,  in  their  funny  German 
beds,  with  their  heads  full  of 
anticipation.  The  clock  in  the 
market-square  hard  by,  struck 
the  hours  and  the  quarter  hours 
as  they  were  falling  off  to  sleep. 
They  felt  as  if  they  had  been 
put    back    by    magic    into    the    thirteenth    century,    or    thereabouts. 

The  next  day  the  weather  did  not  disappoint  them  ;  and  they 
started  early  to  make  the  ascent  of  the  mountain,  Mis.  Horner 
and  Mi>s  Lejeune  mounted  on  mild  donkeys  with  long  ears  and 
wise    faces,  the    rest    on    foot,    with    stout    slicks    to    rest    on. 

A  short  walk  through  the  town  brought  them  to  the  actual 
ascent,  of  less  than  quarter  of  a  mile,  on  a  well-made  path.  It 
is  steep,  but  winding,  ami  not  more  fatiguing  than  the  many 
Bteps  to  views  on  the  top  of  towers,  to  which  the  younger  Hom- 
ers had  now  become  accustomed.  Tommy,  of  course,  started  at  a 
rapid  pace,  and  distanced  them  all;  they  soon  found  him  sitting  on 
a    stone,   with    a    red    face,    and    out    of    breath,   after    which    he    kept 


sw* 


TIIK    AXXATI1AI.    AT    EISEXACH. 


216 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


nearer  the  party.  This  was  a  straggling  one ;  the  donkeys,  who 
had  no  great  enthusiasm  about  reaching  the  top,  were  inclined  to 
take  it  easy ;  and  Mr.  Horner  was  equally  in  favor  of  a  leisurely 
pace. 

"  Look   at   that  party  of  Germans,  Philip,"  he  said.     "  They  put  a 
system  into  it.     They  do    a    certain 
distance,    and    then  they  stand  still 
and  breathe  a  few  moments,  before 
starting  again." 

"  Yes,  but  papa,"  replied  Jack, 
"  one  would  think  we  were  ascend- 
ing Popocatapetl,  to  make  such  a 
time  of  it !  "  and  he  started  off  on 
a   spurt. 

In  fact  it  is  but  a  trifling  climb,  a 
little  over  six  hundred  feet,  and 
the  views  from  the  mountain  side 
are  so  pretty  as  to  afford  a  good 
excuse  for  resting  pauses. 

The  Wartburg  was  built  in  1067.  In  the  eight  centuries  which 
have  passed  over  it  since  much  of  it  had  gone  to  ruin  ;  but  the 
present  grand-duke  of  Saxe-Weimar  has  restored  the  castle  as 
nearly  as  possible  to  its  original  state ;  so  that,  while  its  founda- 
tions are  very  ancient,  the  decorations  are  excessively  modern,  but 
executed  in  a  spirit  so  faithful  to  tradition  that  it  is  like  looking 
at  a  bran-new  piece  of  antiquity. 

The  life  of  Saint  Elizabeth  is  illustrated  by  a  series  of  modern 
frescoes;  and  the  lives  of  various  landgraves  are  made  the  subject 
of  another  series,  of  which  the  favorite  of  the  Homers  explains 
the   name   of  the   castle : 

Landgrave  Louis  the  Springer  came  one  day  while  he  was  chasing  a  stair,  to  the  top  of 
this  mount;  astonished  at  the  lovely  view,  the  thought  arose  in  him  here  to  huild  a  castle, 
and  he  is  said  to  have  exclaimed, 

"Wart,  Berg,  du  sollst  eine  Burg  werden  !  "  —  "Wait,  mount,  thou  art  to  be  a  castle." 
The  tradition  says  that  the  name  Wartburg  originated  from  these  words. 


ISABKLUO   OF    PORTUGAL.    Will'.   OF   CHARLES    V 


217 


EISENACH. 


219 


The  Wartburg  is  the  place  where  Luther  found  protection  after 
the  Diet  of  Worms.  When  Charles  V.  was  elected  emperor,  Luther 
and  his  party  hoped  he  would  declare  himself  in  favor  of  their  views 
for  reforming  the  Church.  The  Papal  Legate,  on  the  other  hand, 
wanted  the  emperor  to  take  measures  against  Luther  at  once.  When 
he  held  his  first  diet,  or  assembly,  at  Worms,  he  sent  for  Luther,  and 
tried  to  make  him  retract  his  heresies,  so  called  ;  but  Luther  would  not. 
He  allowed  him  to  go  away  in  safety,  but  immediately  issued  an 
edict  condemning  him  as  a  here- 
tic. So  Frederick  of  Saxony,  who 
was  a  friend  of  Luther,  had  him 
waylaid  and  seized,  like  a  pris- 
oner, and  carried  to  the  Wart- 
burg ;  but  it  was  really  to  get  him 
out  of  the  way  of  his  enemies. 
He  sta}red  there  almost  a  year, 
and  it  was  there  he  wrote  his 
translation  of  the  New  Testament. 
His  room  is  shown,  very  little 
changed.  The  ink-spot  on  the  wall 
has  been  painted  out,  where  it 
was  said  he  threw  his  inkstand  at 
the  devil.  Perhaps  it  was  only  a 
fly  that    came     and    bothered   him. 

The  Homers  spent  a  long  day 
upon  the  Wart  Berg,  examining 
the  Burg,  enjoying  the  lovely  views 
from  the  windows,  and  the  still  re- 
maining portions  of  the  ancient 
castle  as  much  as  the  modern  pictures,  and  the  legends  of  the  guide. 
They  found  a  very  good  lunch  at  t\m  restaurant  on  the  mountain, 
and  came  back  to  their  hotel,  tired  but  happy,  for  a  good  dinner. 

Mary  and  Philip  went  up  there  the  very  next  day,  on  foot,  and 
Mary  took  her  sketching  tilings.  She  was  not  very  skillful,  but 
very  persevering,  and    her    modest    little   book    was    gradually  getting 


CHARLES   V. 


220  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

filled   with   many  a   sketch   which  she   enjoyed    afterwards,  as   recall- 
ing-   not   only  the  place,    but    the    mood,    in    which   it    was  made. 

On  this  second  day,  Mrs.  Horner  rested,  while  the  others  wrote 
letters,  made  short  sallies  into  the  town,  and  enjo}'ed  the  band  in 
the  market-place  at  noon,  when  all  the  inhabitants  of  Eisenach 
turned    out    and   strolled    about. 

One  day  was  spent  in  wandering  about  the  paths  and  climbing 
the  rocks  in  the  Anna-thai.  They  took  a  little  boy  for  a  guide, 
who  carried  an  ample  basket  of  lunch,  so  they  need  not  come  back 
till  late.  The  Anna-thai  is  a  narrow  ravine  ;  the  wildest  part  of  it 
is  called  the  Drachen-schlucht,  and  here  the  steep  sides  are  covered 
with  moss  and  ferns,  and  wet  with  trickling  moisture.  It  was  a 
very  warm  day,  so  that  the  damp  and  coolness  were  most  agreeable; 
thousrh  Mrs.  Horner  mentioned  the  word  "rheumatism,"  she  was 
immediately  suppressed. 

The  Anna-thai  is  not  on  a  grand,  imposing  scale;  it  is  simply  very, 
very  pretty,  and  something  like  the  ravines  in  the  White  Mountains. 
The  paths  have  been  cared  for  and  cleared  of  underbrush,  but  not  too 
much  "  fixed  up."  On  a  huge  rock  at  the  end  of  an  opening  is 
to  be  seen  a  large  dark  letter  A,  marked  upon  the  stone  in  honor 
of  a  visit  to  the  spot  by  Anna,  queen  of  Holland,  the  mother 
of   the    late   grand-duchess  of  Weimar. 

There  are  similar  letters  like  this  A  in  famous  picturesque  places 
through  Germany,  put  up  to  commemorate  the  presence  of  great  per- 
sonages. They  mar  the  landscape  less  than  the  sprawling  adver- 
tisements, such  as  "  Break  of  Day  Bitters,"  which  disgrace  the 
scenery  in  America  ;  and  their  intention  at  least  is  more  aesthetic 
and    in    harmony    with  nature. 

The  Homers  had  what  we  call  "a  real  nice  time,"  at  Eisenach. 
They  settled  down  as  it  was  their  custom,  and  each  one  went  upon 
his  way,  according  to  his  own  sweet  will.  Their  German  was  good 
enough  now  to  serve.  Tommy  made  friends  with  the  excellent  land- 
lady, and  became  initiated  in  the  plucking  of  chickens  and  skinning 
of  hares. 

They  went   to   the    old    church,    and    enjoyed    the    simple    service, 


EISENACH. 


22 1 


and  the  serious  faces  of  the  congregation.  The  service  in  the 
churches  of  Germany,  even  where  it  is  Catholic,  seems  more  earnest 
and  more  Protestant  than  that  of  the  cathedrals  of  Southern 
Europe.     Protestantism  matches    both  the    climate    and  the     turn    of 


LUTHKK    IN    THE   CELL 


thought  of  the  German  people.  It  is  as  if  "Luther  had  left  his 
stamp  in  the  very  shrines  where  the  reformed  religion  is  not  ac- 
knowledged. 

Charming    weather,    pleasant    drives,    and    simple,    quiet    life     made 


222  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

their  visit  to  Eisenach  a  memorable  one.  The  children  found  traces 
here,  as  elsewhere,  of  their  favorite,  or  detested  kings  and  emperors, 
and  in  connection  with  Luther,  learned  more  of  Charles  V.,  and 
his    wife    Isabelle. 

There  is  a  palace  at  Eisenach  interesting  as  the  home,  for  a  long 
time,  of  the  duchess  of  Orleans,  the  wife  of  that  duke  of  Orleans 
who  was  killed  by  a  fall  from  his  carriage  in  1842.  He  was  the 
son  of  Louis  Philippe,  then  reigning,  so  that  he  was  his  heir  to 
the  throne,  and  by  his  death  his  son  became  the  heir  apparent. 
His  widow,  the  mother,  was  a  German  princess.  She  devoted  her- 
self to  the  education  of  the  young  prince,  and,  after  the  abdication 
of  Louis  Philippe,  she  came  to  Eisenach,  accepting  an  invitation  of 
the  grand-duke  of  Weimar,  who  was  her  uncle.  Here  she  lived, 
honorably  fulfilling  her  duties  as  a  mother  and  a  Christian,  and 
maintaining  the  claims  of  her  son,  whom  she  long  cherished  the 
hope  of  seeing  on  the  throne  of  France.  When  she  saw  his  pros- 
pects blasted  by  the  success  of  Louis  Napoleon,  disappointment 
preyed  upon  her  mind,  her  health  failed,  and  she  died  while  on  a 
visit    to    England,  in    1858. 

Her  story  is  a  sad  one,  and  led  the  young  Homers  to  revert 
once  more  to  the  eventful  ups  and  downs  of  the  princes  of  France- 
This  son  of  hers  was  called  Louis  Philippe  Robert,  Comte  de 
Paris,  and   heir  to  the  throne  of  the    Bourbon   family. 


A  BOMB.  223 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A    BOMB. 

"  Berlin,  May  16th,  1881. 
"My  Dear  Mr.  Horner:  —  What  are  your  plans  ?  Perhaps  you  have  not  any.  What 
do  you  say  to  Norway  ?  I  think  I  shall  start  for  the  midnight  sun  and  way-stations, 
about  the  first  of  June,  and  I  need  not  say  that  it  will  be  far  pleasanter  for  me  if  you 
decide  to  join  me  with  your  party.  A  month  is  enough  to  devote  to  Norway,  and  I  think 
Mrs.  Horner  and  the  young  ladies  would  enjoy  the  trip.  Let  me  hear  from  you  at  once. 
"Truly  yours,  Clarence  Hervey." 

THIS  letter  burst  like  a  bomb  at  the  Homers'  breakfast-table, 
one  clay  at  Eisenach.  They  had  no  more  thought  of  going 
to  Norway  than  they  had  of  going  to  Japan  ;  and  the  midnight 
sun  had   entered  into   their  plans  as    little    as  the  pyramids   at  Cairo. 

"  How  exactly  like  Hervey  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Horner  irritably. 
The  idea  disturbed  the  tenor  of  his  thoughts  somewhat  roughly. 
Their  month  at  Eisenach  had  been  very  pleasant.  The  fields  were 
full  of  wild  flowers,  and  every  day  the  children  came  in  with  their 
hands  full.  It  was  a  healthy  sort  of  out-dour  life  that  they  did  not 
like  to  think  of  leaving  ;  and  yet  the  time  was  coming  when  they 
must  move  on.  Their  rooms  were  already  engaged  at  Berlin,  and 
for  some  time  the  wise  heads  of  the  party  had  been  thinking  about 
their  future  course,  consulting  guide-books  and  maps,  in  order  to 
lay  out  the  plan  for  their  summer  months;  but  the  children  had 
but  little    part    in    the    practical    discussion   of  such    tilings. 

Mr.  Horner  had  some  affairs  to  attend  to  in  Antwerp,  sooner  or 
later;  one  plan  had  been  to  spend  the  month  of  June  in  Holland. 
Norway  Mas    a    wholly  new  suggestion. 

"Mr.  Hervey  was  always  talking  about  Norway  on  the  voyage," 
said    Mary,    "do  not   you    remember?" 


224 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


"  I  think  he  meant  to  go  to  Norway  when  he  left  America," 
said  Miss  Lejeune,  "  only  he  never  makes  plans.  He  told  me  that 
he   hoped     to    go    some    time ;     and     he    had   all    kinds    of  Norway 

Murray's  and  other 
guides  with  him,  that 
a  friend  of  his  hand- 
ed over  to  him  who 
had  made  the  trip." 
"  How  I  should 
like  to  go !  "  ex- 
claimed Mary.  "  I 
always  wanted  to 
see  the  midnight 
sun." 

**  I  do  not  care 
half  so  much  for 
Norway  as  for  Eu- 
ropean cities,"  de- 
clared Philip. 

"Do  not  you?" 
replied  Mary.  "  Oh, 
I  do !  and  then  we 
have  seen  so  many 
cities." 

"  I    wonder    what 
it      is      like,"       ex- 
claimed   Bessie.     "  Let's   get   the  Baedeker   and   see." 

"  But  we  have  no  guide-book  that  will  tell,"  said  Mary. 
"  '  Northern  Germany '  says  nothing  about  Norway." 

"  Think  of  seeing  real  Norsemen  and  vikings !  "  exclaimed  Bes- 
sie ;  "  I    hope   we    shall   go  !  " 

"  Rubbish,"  replied  Phil,  "  the  vikings  are  all  dead,  and  there  are 
nothing  but  stupid  Swedes  and  Norwegians,  like  that  Emma  we  had, 
who    could    not    speak  any  English." 

While   the   children    were    thus    chattering  without    any  responsibil- 


WILD   FLOWERS. 


- 


A  BOMB.  227 

ity,  the  three  older  people  remained  silent,  but  each  was  busily- 
thinking,  and    weighing   the    subject   internally. 

It  was  after  the  young  ones  had  scattered  to  their  out-of-doors 
pursuits  that  a  grave  consultation  was  held.  Miss  Lejeune  took  out 
her  interminable  knitting,  Mr.  Horner  lighted  his  cigar,  and  Mrs. 
Horner,  wrapping  a  light  shawl  about  her  shoulders,  leaned  back 
in  an  American  chair,  as  they  call  a  rocking-chair  in  Europe,  and 
rocked  gently  as  they  talked. 

"  Well,  what  do  we  think  of  this  Norway  plan?  "  demanded  Mr.  Horner. 

More  than  one  council  was  needed  before  any  decision  was 
reached ;  and  several  letters  were  exchanged  with  Mr.  Hervey  ;  the 
verdict  was  that  they  had  better  come  to  Berlin,  and  talk  it  over 
with  him.  This  occasioned  no  change  in  their  plan,  for  it  was  quite 
time  for  them  to  leave  Eisenach.  The  only  difference  was  that 
now  their  cpuiet  life  was  broken  up,  and  they  no  longer  cared  for 
their  country  pursuits.  When  the  time  for  leaving  a  place  has 
come,  there  is  an  end  to  the  enjoyment  of  it.  Unsettled  feelings 
take  the  place  of  satisfaction.  The  last  few  days  in  a  place  are 
always  uncomfortable  ;  as  Phil  expressed  it,  "  The  bottom  has  come 
out,  and  there  is  no    more  fun." 

Besides,  they  were  all  in  a  hurry  to  see  their  dear  Mr.  Hervey 
again  ;  and  Tommy  was  longing  to  behold  the  emperor  of  Germany 
in  all  his  glory.  They  bade  good-bye  to  EisenaJi  friends,  especially 
to  a  little  family  of  children  and  dolls,  with  whom  Bessie  and 
Tommy    had    become    very  intimate. 

So  to  Berlin  they  went,  and  to  the  hotel  where  Mr.  Hervey  had 
his  room.  He  came  to  wait  for  them  at  the  station,  and  the  meet- 
ing was  a  very  joyous    one. 

They  had  a  merry  and  rather  noisy  dinner  the  first  evening, 
for  every  Horner  wished  to  tell  Mr.  Hervey,  in  his  or  her  own 
way,  everything  which  had  happened  to  them  since  they  left  him 
in  Paris.  It  was  the  children's  occasion  ;  for  the  parents  thought 
it  was  hopeless  to  try  to  get  a  word  in  edgewise,  and  so  they 
allowed  the  young  tongues  to  run  freely;  only  Mrs.  Horner  faintly 
murmured    once    or    twice. 


228 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


"Not   quite    so   loud,    Tommy." 

The  end  of  many  conferences  was,  as  it  was  very  apt  to  be,  that 
Mrs.  Horner  had  her  own  way.  She  was  so  quiet  and  gentle  that 
an  outside  observer  would  not  suppose  that  she  was  the  general 
in  command  of  the  party ;  but  her  ideas  were  always  so  excellent 
that  her  husband  invariably  sur- 
rendered to  them,  and  so  did  Miss 
Lejeune,  although  in  the  present 
case   she  demurred   at  first. 

Mrs.  Horner's  plan  was  to  di- 
vide the  party  !  When  she  first 
proffered     it     the     others     looked 


•IK  IS    1'l.AVMAIK 


aghast ;  but  her  reasons  were  ready.  She  thought  there  were  alto- 
gether too  many  for  Norway,  "where,"  she  said,  "  I  believe  you 
have    to    ride    in     little    carriages    all     by    yourself.       It    will    not  do 


A  BOMB. 


J2& 


NORWEGIAN   CARRIAGE. 


to  have  a  long  string  of  Homers  all  across  the  country,  from  the 
North  Cape  to  Copenhagen."  She  told  her  husband  privately  that 
she  thought  the  burden  of  the  party  would  rest  too  heavily  on  Mr. 
Hervey,  who  would  be  the  natural  guide,  as  he  had  studied  up  the 
subject.  Mr.  Horner  assented  to  this.  Indeed,  his  chief  objection 
to  the  plan  was, 
that  it  imposed 
such  an  army 
on  Mr.  Hervey. 

"  Yes,"  con- 
tinued  Mrs. 
Horner,  "  this 
is  really  the 
best  plan.  If 
you,  Augusta, 
will  chaperon 
the    party  that 

goes.  I  think  I  will  not  go  myself,  but  will  form  a  camp  some- 
where with  the  rest  of  the  children.  We  shall  be  perfectly  com- 
fortable and  happy,  and  indeed  I  shall  like  it  much  better  than  so 
much  sea-travel.  I  will  keep  Tommy;  and,  Mr.  Hervey,  you  may 
choose,  of    the    others,    which   you  will    take." 

Mr.  Hervey  did  not  exactly  choose  ;  but  different  reasons  now 
settled  the  division  of  the  forces.  Mr.  Horner  stayed  with  his 
wife,  and,  strange  to  say,  Philip  preferred  to  be  left  behind.  There 
was  something  manly  in  this;  he  did  not  like  to  desert  his  mother; 
besides,  he  did  not  care  so  much  for  scenery  as  for  things  and 
people.  Both  the  girls  might  as  well  go,  as  they  could  share  the 
same    room. 

As  for  Tommy,  no  one  dared  to  break  to  him  the  news  that 
lie  was  to  remain  behind,  and  finally  Mr.  Hervey  begged  so  hard 
to  take  him  that  Mis.  Horner  yielded,  and  Tommy  never  knew  that 
the  first  plan  had  not  included  him.  Mrs.  Horner  was  reluctant; 
but  Mr.  Hervey  came  and  sat  by  her,  and  took  her  hand,  saying, 
"Now,    Mrs.    Horner,  you  know  that  vou    keep    Tommy  because  you 


230  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

think  that  he  will  be  a  torment  to  me.  Look  me  m  the  eyes,  and 
say,    honestly,  that    this   is    the    case." 

Mrs.  Horner  laughed,  blushed,  looked  up  and  said,  "  That  is  the 
case !  " 

"  Very  well.  Now  hear  me  solemnly  affirm  and  assert  that  I  want 
him    to    go    with    us    to    Norway." 

And  so    it    was   settled    that   Tommy  should    go. 

Miss  Lejeune,  who  usually  made  all  their  plans,  had  singularly 
little  to  say  about  this  one.  She  assented  very  readily  to  the  charge 
of  the  girls,  but  declared  herself  willing  to  be  left  behind,  if  that 
were  considered  best.  Of  course  tins  was  not  thought  of  for  an 
instant ;  and,  when  it  was  decided,  she  lent  herself  to  the  scheme 
with    her    usual  alacrity. 

After  these  tedious  discussions  were  over  and  the  thing  was 
settled,  the  Homers  applied  themselves  to  sight-seeing  in  Berlin,  for 
while  they  were  still  uncertain  what  was  to  happen  to  them,  they 
had  done   little  else  than   speculate  upon   the  future. 

Mrs.  Horner  may  have  been  secretly  a  little  sad,  to  find  her  brave 
proposal  for  a  division  so  successful ;  but  she  said  nothing  of  this, 
and  averred  that  the  month  of  separation  would  be  short.  Mr. 
Horner  was  relieved  of  the  responsibility  of  engineering  his  family 
through  a  difficult  region ;  and  he  found,  moreover,  that  his  pres- 
ence in  Antwerp  was  really  important,  on  account  of  the  affairs  of 
his   firm. 

Bessie  was  sorry  to  part  with  Jack,  but  consoled  herself  with 
thinking    she   could    write    to   him,  and    hear   from    him. 

"  It  will  be  the  same,"  she  added,  "  as  if  we  all  went  to  both 
places   at   once,    for    we    can   tell    each   other   all   about   them." 

They  packed  industriously,  for,  as  usual,  all  their  possessions 
were  scattered,  far  and  wide,  about  their  rooms  at  the  lutel.  It 
was  now  necessary  to  exercise  more  than  ordinary  thought  about 
their  luggage,  because  in  Norway  it  is  best  to  be  as  lightly  burdened  as 
possible.  The  smallest  trunks  were  now  emptied  and  put  at  the  dis- 
position of  the  Norwegians.  A  double  valise  sufficed  for  both  Bessie 
and  Mary.     Miss  Lejeune's  ample  trunk  was  replaced  by  a  modest  hat- 


MONUMENT   OF    VICTOKY,    BERLIN. 


231 


A  BOiTB. 


233 


box :  and  Tommy's  things  were  destined  for  a  corner  of  Mr.  Hervey's 
portmanteau.  It  was  really  very  good-natured  of  this  gentleman  to 
assume  the  care  of  the  boy  ;  but  he  was  wholly  in  earnest  about 
it.  This  modest  array  of  boxes  was  supplemented  by  manifold  wraps 
in  shawl-straps. 


234  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


BERLIN. 


THE  capital  of  Germany  is  a  handsome  city,  and  the  Germans 
are  justly  proud  of  it,  and  "  (Inter  den  Linden  "  is  a  distinguished 
avenue,  although  the  lime-trees  which  give  it  this  odd  and  pretty 
name,  are  not  the  noblest  specimens  of  their  kind.  It  is  remarkable 
for  its  width,  and  for  the  line  buildings  and  gay  shops  with  which 
it  is  lined. 

Berlin  is  comparatively  modern ;  it  owes  its  existence,  as  a  city  of 
importance,  to  the  uncle  of  Frederick  the  Great,  who,  having  created 
a  kingdom,  required  a  capital  for  it.  The  great  Frederick,  whose  pas- 
sion, like  that  of  Louis  XIV.,  was  for  building  and  architecture,  adorned 
it  with  new  buildings,  and  enriched  it  with  works  of  art.  The  present 
emperor  has  the  ambition,  shared  by  all  the  Germans,  to  make  Berlin 
the  finest  city  in  the   world. 

It  lacks,  however,  the  antiquity  of  Paris,  and  with  it,  much  of  the 
charm  of  historical  association. 

The  Homers  were  in  Berlin  ten  dajrs  or  a  fortnight,  and  at  a  lovely 
season  of  the  year,  but  unfortunately,  their  usual  good  luck  in  weather 
deserted  them.  It  rained  continuously,  almost  all  the  time,  with 
that  perseverance  which  the  heavens  sometimes  show  even  in  leafy 
June.  All  the  excursions  they  took  had  to  be  in  closed  droschkys 
or  under  umbrellas,  and  the  only  day  the  sun  was  out  they  had 
devoted  to  the  pictures  in  the  Berlin  Museum,  thinking  it  was  sure 
to  rain  again  that  day. 

The  Norway  plan,  moreover,  with  the  consequent  division  of  the 
party  it  entailed,  unsettled  all  their  minds,  and  gave  to  each  one  the 
vague  feeling  of  unrest,  which  sometimes  takes  possession  of  the  traveller, 


£ 


BERLIN. 


237 


and  deprives  him,  while  it  lasts,  of  the  power  to  enter  into  the  present 
scene,  and  grasp  the  meaning  of  the  objects  of  interest  under  his 
notice.  Every  one  who  has  travelled,  remembers  places  which  failed, 
for  reasons  of  this  sort,  to  make  their  due  impression.  The  Homers 
said   afterward  that  thev  did   not   like   Berlin  ;    if  they  had  been  there 


QUEEN    I.ori-I      AND    NAPOLEON. 


under  other  circumstances,  they  would  have  found  it,  as  have  many 
•j?*ithusiastic   visitors,  a  delightful   place. 

Nevertheless,  thev  succeeded  in  seeing,  between  the  drops,  the  chief 
buildings  of  importance.  Thev  drove  to  Charlottenburg,  to  see  the 
mausoleum  which  holds  the  beautiful  marble  monuments  of  Frederick 
William   III.  and   his  wife,   the  parents  of  the  present  emperor. 

It  was  prince  William  III.  who  had  t"  bear  the  brunt,  in  his  kingdom, 


23S 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


of  Napoleon's  ambition,  who,  jealous  of  the  independence  of  Prussia, 
was  determined  to  humble  it.  The  battle  of  Jena  was  the  consequence, 
and  Bonaparte  entered  Berlin  as  a  conqueror.  The  queen  Louise, 
beautiful  and  popular,  sought  to  mediate  with  Napoleon,  but  he  treated 
her   with   erreat   rudeness.      He    carried    off    with    him    the   sword   of 


BRAXDEXBUKG    GATE. 


Frederick   the   Great,  and   the  Car  of  Victory  from    the    Brandenburg 
gate. 

These  things  heaped  up  bitterness  between  the  French  and 
Germans.  The  crowning  of  the  present  emperor  at  Versailles,  in 
1871,   was  the  revanche   of  the   Germans. 

As   the    Homers   drove    under   the    Brandenburg   gate,    Mr.    Horner 
pointed  out  this  chariot,  with  its  four  bronze  horses,  saying  : 

"  They    have     travelled    farther    than    steeds    of    their    material    are 


BERLIN.  241 

apt  to ;  having  made  the  journey  to  Paris  and  back  again."  For 
after  Napoleon's  abdication,  the  bronze  horses  were  restored. 

Mary  and  Miss  Lejeune  were  the  ones  who  enjoj-ed  Berlin  the 
most.  They  were  often  missing  from  the  party  of  sight-seers,  and 
if  so,  only  to  be  found  before  their  beloved  old  masters,  catalogue  in 
hand.  The  picture-gallery  of  the  Berlin  Museum,  though  inferior  to 
to  those  of  Dresden  and  Munich,  contains  good  pictures  by  a  greater 
number  of  different  masters,  especially  of  the  old  German  and  Italian 
schools,  and  is  admirably  adapted  for  the  study  of  the  history  of  art, 
as  the  rooms  are  arranged  in  order,  according  to  the  different  schools. 
In  each  apartment,  a  list  of  the  pictures  it  contains  is  hung  on  the 
wall. 

Mr.  Hervey  took  Bessie  and  the  boys  to  the  Zoological  Garden, 
where  they  saw  delightful  beasts;  but  the  Nil-Pferd  (Nile-horse)  or 
hippopotamus,  which    used  to   be   there,  is  dead. 

The  theatre  and  opera  at  Berlin  are  admirable.  They  saw  Don 
Carlos,  Schiller's  play,  finely  performed ;  and  were  delighted  to  find 
that  their  knowledge  of  German  was  so  much  improved  that  they 
understood  very  well,   although  not  every   word. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  evenings  not  otherwise  employed,  and  also  in 
the  rainy  mornings,  they  were  busy  reading  up  about  Norway,  while 
Mr.  Hervey  was  getting  together  his  guide-books  and  picking  up 
information  wherever  he  could,  about  travelling  in  that  country.  Tliev 
had  conversation-books  in  Norwegian,  and  endeavored  beforehand  to 
master  a  few  important  phrases. 

At  the  same  time,  Mr.  Horner  was  occupied  in  laying  out  a  plan  for 
passing  the  month  of  July  in  Holland.  The  business  which  took  him 
there  was  assuming  greater  importance,  and  from  Mr.  Agry,  his  part- 
ner in  New  York,  now  came  letters  of  introduction  to  people  in 
Amsterdam,  and  suggestions  of  steps  to  be  taken. 

The  early  history  of  Norway  ia»enveloped  in  darkness,  and  rests  on 
traditions  dating  from  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries.  The  Abo- 
rigines are  descendants  of  a  branch  of  the  great  Gothic  stock.  The 
early  settlers  formed,  for  a  long  period,  numerous  small  communities, 
which  waged   continual    war   upon   cadi   other,  until    Ilarald   Haarfager, 


242 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


bekujm:  statue  of  ff.fdeiuck  the  gkeat. 

in  872,  completed  the  conquest  of  them  all.  From  this  time,  down 
to  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century,  is  comprised  the  heroic  period 
of  Norwegian  history,  replete  with  tales  of  grand  warlike  exploits, 
and  great  riches   brought   home   by    vikings. 


BERLIN. 


248 


Danes  and  Norwegians  alike  were  called  Northmen  ;  the  whole  sea- 
board of  Europe  was  visited  by  vikings,  and  they  even  penetrated  to 
America  ;  and  many  wise  people  think  as  far  as  New  England. 

The  city  of  Trondhjem  was  founded  A.  D.  997,  by  King  Olaf 
Trygvason.  The  adventures  of  this  prince  are  the  most  romantic  of 
all  the  sovereigns  of  Norway.  Born  a  prince,  his  mother  only  saved 
his  life  from  the  usurper  of  his  rights  by  quitting  the  country ;  they 
were  taken  by  pirates,  separated,  and  sold  as  slaves  ;  at  an  early  age 
he  was  discovered  and  redeemed  by  a  relative,  became  a  distinguished 
sea-king,  married  an  Irish  princess,  embraced  Christianity,  and  ulti- 
mately fought  his  way  to  the  throne  of  Norway  in  991.  He  then 
became  a  zealous  missionary,  propagating  the  faith  by  the  sword. 
Death  or  Christianity  was  the  only  alternative  he  allowed  his  subjects. 
In  the  year  1008,  he  went  over  to  England  to  the  assistance  of  Ethelred 
the  Unready,  against  the  Danes,  who,  however,  put  Ethelred  to  flight, 
and  took  the  English  throne  :  and  in  1028,  Canute  the  Great  landed 
in  Norway.  He  was  at  that  time  the  most  powerful  monarch  in 
Europe,  and  called  himself  king  of  England,  Denmark,  Sweden  and 
Norway.  Upon  his  death,  his  son  was  driven  from  the  throne,  and  the 
native  line  was  resumed.     These  early  kings  were  crowned  at  Bergen. 


244  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

Harold  III.  one  of  the  greatest  warriors  of  his  age,  invaded  England, 
and  was  there  slain  in  battle,  fighting  against  Harold  II.  of  England, 
who  three  weeks  afterwards  fell  at  Hastings,  October  14th,  1066;  thus 
ending  the  Saxon  period  in  England. 

A  Norwegian  king,  Hagen  VI.,  married  a  daughter  of  Denmark, 
and  when,  in  1380,  the  crown  descended  to  his  infant  son,  the  two 
countries  were  united  under  the  sceptre,  and  so  remained  down  to 
1814.  The  daughter  of  Hagen  was  a  famous  queen  Margaret,  known 
as  the  Semiramis  of  the  North.  She  conquered  Sweden,  and  united 
that  country  to  her  dominions ;  but  her  successors  had  not  the  ability 
to  keep  all  the  countries  together.  In  1523,  Gustavus  Vasa  established 
the  independence  oi'  that  country,  and  shortly  afterwards  Norway  was 
deprived  of  her  parliament  and  reduced  to  a  mere  province  of  Denmark. 

In  1536,  tl.e  reformation  was  introduced,  and  gradually  and  peace- 
fully established,  and  for  three  hundred  years,  under  the  rule  of  Den- 
mark, the  Norwegians  took  a  considerable  part  in  the  literary  and 
scientific  life  of  Scandinavia,  Copenhagen  and  its  university  being  the 
intellectual    centre. 

In  1813,  the  allied  powers  arranged  an  odd  plan  of  dividing  these 
countries.  Napoleon  had  signed  away  to  Russia  the  Swedish  province 
of  Finland,  which  did  not  belong  to  him  ;  liussia  now  indemnified 
Sweden  by  a  present  of  Norway,  to  which  she  had  no  title,  and  Eng- 
land offered  to  Denmark  an  equivalent  in  lower  Saxony,  which  was 
then  in  the  possession  of  France.  The  Norwegians  did  not  like  their 
share  in  this  bargaining.  They  were  justly  indignant  at  being  thus 
transferred  from  Denmark  to  Sweden,  without  their  consent,  and  deter- 
mined to  resist  it  and  declare  their  independence.  But  resistance 
was  useless.  After  several  months,  Christian  VIII.  abdicated  the 
throne  of  Norway,  and  the  king  of  Sweden  was  elected  in  his  place 
November  4,  1814:  but  the  most  favorable  terms  were  offered  the 
Norwegians,  and  the  first  article  of  the  constitution  declares  that 
"Norway  shall  be  a  free  State,  independent,  indivisible,  inalienable, 
united  to  Sweden  under  the  same  king."  The  present  sovereign, 
Oscar  II..  and  his  queen,  Sophia  of  Nassau,  were  crowned  king  and 
queen  of  Norway  at  the  cathedral  of  Trondhjem,  on  the  18th  July,  1873. 


ANTWI   1:1'    CATIIKMiAL 


BERLIN. 


247 


Iii  Berlin,  Bessie  and  all  the  rest  of  them  failed  not  to  see  the 
emperor  to  their  heart's  content,  once  at  the  opera,  where  he  sat 
in  the  roj^al  box  surrounded  by  his  handsome  family,  benignly  listening 
to  the  music,  and  again  driving  in  the  Thier-Garten.  They  admired  his 
stalwart  figure,  and  handsome  genial  countenance;  but  Bessie  would 
not  allow  that  he  was  anything  more  than  a  machine-made  emperor, 
not  at  all  to  be  compared  with  Barbarossa  and  Charlemagne.  Wiser 
heads  in  the  party  were  ready  to  give  him  the  high  place  he  deserves 
in  the  history  of  the  century. 

The  Norwegians   were   to   leave    first,   Mr.    Horner    wishing    t<     see 


TKi  >.\  D11J KM    CATllEDKAL. 


them  off,  after  which  he,  with  Mrs.  Horner  and  Philip,  were  to 
start  direct  for  Cologne,  and  make  no  stop  until  they  should  reach 
Antwerp.  This  they  successfully  achieved,  and  their  first  Letter, 
which  was  received  by  the  others  at  Copenhagen,  was  dated  within 
hearing  ot  the  chimes  of  the  beautiful  Gothic  cathedral  of  that 
place. 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


SEPARATION. 


WHEN  the  party  were  ready  to  leave  Berlin,  Mr.  Horner  went 
with  them  in  the  drosehky  to  see  them  safely  off,  Mrs. 
Horner  rather  tearfully  waving  to  them  from  the  balcony,  where 
Philip  stood  by  her  side  with  an  air  of  protection.  Their  windows 
were  soon  lost  to  sight,  as  the  drosehky  turned  quickly  from  the 
Gross-beeren-Strasse,  through  the  York-Strasse,  and  so  on  to  the 
Belle-Allianz-Platz.  From  here  they  had  to  drive  the  whole  length 
of  the  Frederick-Strasse,  crossing  Unter-den-Linden,  for  the  last  time, 
and  so  on  to  the  Stettiner  Bahnhof.  The  train  left  at  five  o'clock. 
During  this  drive  Mr.  Herve}r,  who,  up  to  this  late  moment, 
had  been  busily  consulting  the  maps  and  time-tables  of  his  favorite 
author  Henschel,    suddenly  announced, 

"  There  is  a  new  branch,  by  which  we  can  go  to  Swinemiinde !  " 
"  Swinemiinde,"  speculated  Mary,  "  that  sounds  like  swine's  mouth." 
"  One  little  branch  of  the  Oder,"  explained  Mr.  Hervey,  "  is  the 
Swine,  and  this  is  the  mouth  of  it.  If  we  go  this  way,"  he  added, 
"we  can  take  the  same  Stettin  steamer  for  Copenhagen,  and  it 
will  be  pleasanter  to  spend  a  da}r  there  than  at  Stettin,  for  there 
are  several  watering-places  in  the  neighborhood,  and  I  should  really 
like  to   see    what    a    German    Trouville  is   like  ! " 

All  were  agreed,  and  arriving  at  the  station,  Mr.  Hervey  soon 
found  a  wagon  with  one  compartment  marked  "Swinemiinde,"  but 
all  the  good  seats  in  it  were  taken ;  however,  another  compartment  of 
the  same  carriage  was  empty,  but  with  the  doors  locked.  Mr. 
Hervejr  unlocked  the  door  himself,  and  helped  in  Miss  Lejeune, 
Mary   and   the  other   children. 


SEPARATION.  249 

They  were  just  fairly  settled,  their  parcels  and  bags  bestowed  in 
the  racks  above,  and  Mr.  Hervey  had  removed  his  hat  and  replaced 
it  by  a  cap,  when  the  Schaffner  coming  by,  saw  the  fearful  free- 
dom taken  with  his  prerogative.  Here  were  people  who  had  the 
audacity  to  seat  themselves  without  coming  to  implore  him  to  open 
the  door  for  them  It  was  enough.  He  at  once  stepped  up  and 
said, 

"  You   must    quit  this    carriage  at  once  !  " 

Mr.  Hervey  was  old  enough  a  traveller  to  know  that  the  only 
way  of  managing  this  difficulty  was  to  yield,  and  appeal  to  a  higher 
power.  So  they  collected  their  parcels,  bags,  shawl-straps,  coats,  etc., 
and  allowed  themselves  to  be  hustled  into  the  other  over-full  com- 
partments. Mr.  Hervey  then  dashed  off,  in  search  of  the  head  con- 
ductor of  the  train,  to  ask  him  if  any  compartments  were  reserved, 
and  if  there  was  any  reason  why  he  should  not  take  any  one  he 
chose  in  a  carriage  which  was  going  to  Swinemunde. 

"  Certainly  not,"  replied  the  conductor,  and  at  once  he  accom- 
panied Mr.  Hervey  to  the  scene  of  action,  to  reinstate  them  in 
triumph  in  their  chosen  place.  The  guard  remonstrated  in  voluble 
German,  but  Mr.  Hervey  was  fully  his  match  in  fluent,  if  not  in 
correct,  German,  and  the  guard  had  sullenly  to  yield,  venting  his 
spleen  by  slamming  the  door,  and  neglecting  through  the  journey 
to  open  it  to  announce  the  names  of  the  different  towns  through 
which  they  passed,  which  was,  on  the  whole,  a  relief,  as  it  allowed 
the  children  to  sleep  undisturbed  until  their  arrival  next  morning  at 
Swinemunde. 

Here  they  drove  to  the  Drei  Kronen,  where  they  arrived  just  in 
time  for  a   late  but  thoroughly   German  breakfast. 

After  they  all  were  thoroughly  refreshed,  Mr.  Hervey  came  in  from 
a  short  exploration   of  the  town,  to  say  : 

"We  can  go  out  to  Heringsdorf  either  by  carriage  or  omnibus,  or 
we  can  walk.  It  is  only  about  two  miles  and  a  half  to  walk,  —  the 
road  runs  through  the  woods." 

rutting  it  to  vote,  it  was  decided  to  walk  there  and  return  by 
omnibus.      So    they  set    off   soon   after   breakfast,    passing  through    a 


250 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


WUUDS   AT   HEKINGSDORF. 


quaint  fishing-village  a  little  beyond  Swinemiinde,  where  all  the 
houses  of  the  fishermen  were  adapted  to  the  part  of  lodging  houses 
for    summer    visitors.      Next    came    a  beautiful   wood,  and   here    they 


SEPARATION.  251 

left  the  highway,  and  followed  a  footpath  which  a  fisherman  told 
them  was  a   short    cut   to   Heringsdorf. 

The  peasants  they  met  were  oddly  dressed,  and  Mr.  Hervey  im- 
agined their  faces  and  bearing  showed  traces  of  descent  from  the 
old   Wends. 

They  came  out  from  the  wood  upon  the  beach  near  Heringsdorf, 
which  stretches  all  the  way  from  that  place  to  Swinemiinde,  but 
the  sand  proved  too  soft  for  easy  walking.  The  trees  came  down 
to  the  shore  to  a  bluff,  below  which  was  the  beach  and  the  ocean. 
Charming  paths  were  laid  out  through  the  woods  and  close  to  the 
edge  of  the  bluff.  From  the  beach  a  pier  ran  out  for  a  long 
distance  into  the  ocean.  An  enormous  enclosure  on  the  edge  of 
the  water  was  marked  "  Damen-Baden,"  and  another  on  the  other 
side  of   the    pier    "fur    Herren." 

Nestled  close  under  the  cliff,  was  a  sort  of  casino  with  restau- 
rant, reading,  and  billiard-rooms.  A  little  further  on,  came  the 
grand  avenue,  leading  up  from  the  shore  to  the  high  road.  Here 
was  a  scene  of  bustle  and  festivity.  Little  bazaars  and  shops  of  all 
kinds  covered  the  plank-walks,  with  flags  flying,  bright-colored  dra- 
peries and  open  fronts,  with  counters,  on  which  were  displayed  a 
profusion  of  fane}-  goods,  amber,  meerschaum,  and  leather  articles, 
and    quantities    of   Berlin    wool    work. 

"  What  a  lovely,  lovely  amber  necklace  ! "  cried  Bessie.  "  Don't 
you    think  mother  would   let    me    buy  it?" 

"  Not  much ! "  said  Tommy.  "  But  I  should  like  one  of  those 
drums    uncommonly  !  ' 

They  stopped  to  buy  neither  the  necklace  nor  the  drum,  but  some 
little  leather  and  terra  cotta  things,  as  mementos  of  the  shops  of 
Heringsdorf. 

Enormous  beech-trees  stood  close  around  the  bazaars,  and  the 
forest  of  which  they  were  a  part  stretched  back  a  long  distance 
from  the  open  sea.  Vineta,  the  traditional  city  under  the  sea,  is 
said  to  be  situated  near  Heringsdorf.  Their  imagination  strove  to 
discern  its  vast  towers  and  palaces  far  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
water,  and  Miss  Lejeune  quoted: 


252  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

"  Out  from  the  deep,  deep  caverns  of  the  sea, 
The  evening  hells  are  ringing  faint  and  low; 

List  to  the  tidings  that  they  bring  to  thee 
From  the  old  Wonder-city  far  below." 


A  wandering  musician  by  the  road-side  was  playing  quaint  North- 
ern   airs  on    his    violin. 

They  found  the  omnibus  started  in  an  hour  or  two  from  a  large 
hotel  a  few  rods  beyond  the  bazaars,  so  after  a  substantial  lunch 
they  wandered  back  to  the  Baltic,  and  spent  the  rest  of  their  time 
on  the  long  pier,  and  walking  up  and  down  the  beach.  The  chil- 
dren were  very  anxious  to  have  a  swim  at  the  bathing-houses,  but 
Miss  Lejeune  feared  that  the  water  of  the  Baltic  would  be  too 
cold. 

The  omnibus  which  took  them  back  was  nearly  full  of  German- 
Jews,  and,  indeed,  a  large  proportion  of  the  people  they  met,  on  the 
sands  and  round  the  hotel,  seemed  to  be  of  that  race.  They  passed  their 
time,  going  back,  praising  the  beauties  of  this  really  charming  little 
watering-place,  which  is  comparatively  unknown;  and  the  children 
even  wished  they  could  spend  the  summer  there  and  let  Norway 
take   care   of  itself. 

There  was  a  placard  in  the  omnibus  announcing  a  steamer  ex- 
cursion along  the  shore  northward  to  another  watering-place,  in 
the  opposite  direction  from  Heringsdorf.  With  his  usual  energy, 
Mr.  Hervey  said  if  they  got  in  in  time  they  certainly  must  go  on 
this  excursion.  So  there  was  a  rush  to  the  pier  on  their  arrival, 
in  a  few  moments  they  were  placidly  sailing  upon  the  Baltic,  and 
enjoying  once    more,  after  so  long  an  absence,  the  salt  breeze. 

The  coast  was  not  as  pretty  as  in  the  other  direction,  as  there 
were  no  pine  or  beech  forests.  The  place  reminded  Miss  Lejeune 
of  Margate  and  other  English  watering-places,  but  not  in  the  least 
of  any  American  summer  resort.  Mr.  Hervey  now  discovered  that 
they  could  walk  a  mile  back  from  the  sea,  and  come  home  by 
another  boat,  which  plies  in  the  curious  little  channels  made  by 
the  water  of  the  Oder  flowing  into  the  Baltic.  The  low  marshy 
land   is   covered  for   miles  by  a  net-tvork    of  these  channels.      They 


253 


SEPARATION".  255 

reached  the  landing  of  the  new  boat  with  half  an  hour  to  spare. 
So  they  wandered  into  the  garden  of  the  quaintest  of  inns,  where 
they  had  coffee,  and  bread  and  cheese,  and  sausages,  of  which  they 
were  now  much  in  need,  as  it  was  about  six  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. 

"  I  suppose  there  never  were  any  Americans  here  before,"  ex- 
claimed   Bessie. 

"  Or  English  either,"  added  Mary.  On  asking  their  loquacious 
landlady,  she    assured    them    she    had    never    seen  either  there  before. 

The  new  boat  proved  to  be  but  little  more  than  a  tug,  with  a 
band-box  of  a  cabin.  Though  the  experience  was  amusing,  the  scen- 
ery was  not,  for  the  banks  were  low  and  marshy,  and  where  the 
grass    grew    higher    than     usual,    it    cut    off    all    the    view    from    the 


LEAVING    mi;   COPKN1IAGEN. 


boat.     Tommy  occupied    himself  by  counting  the   letters    S    the  river 
made    in    the    course    of  quarter    of  a   mile,  bul    this  amusement  soon 


256  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

palled    on    even  his  inquisitive  mind,  and  the  rest  of  the  three    hours 
were  spent    by  all   in    wishing    themselves    back    to   Swinemiinde. 

About  eight  o'clock  it  began  to  rain,  and  the  party  were  driven, 
with  all  the  German  peasants  who  were  their  fellow-passengers,  to  take 
refuge  in  the  little  cabin.  The  children  Avere  cross  and  tired, 
Mary  and  Miss  Lejeune  sick  and  stifled  with  the  mingled  odors 
of  garlic  and  tobacco  smoke.  Mr.  Hervey  tried  to  fill  up  the  time 
by  making  acquaintance  with  a  German  lad  and  his  sister  who  sat 
near  him,  and  found  them  remarkably  intelligent  and  amusing.  At 
last  they  found  themselves  again  at  Swinemiinde,  and  on  a  steamer  for 
Copenhagen,  delighted  with  their  exceptional  little  trip  to  a 
wholly  unhackneyed  place. 


COPENHAGEN.  250 


CHAPTER  XXVJ. 


COPENHAGEN. 


AT  Copenhagen,  there  were  many  things  which  they  really  must  do, 
but  they  really  had  no  time  to  do  them  in. 

The  afternoon  of  their  arrival,  they  visited  the  Museum  of  Northern 
Antiquities,  the  most  important  in  the  world,  and  also  the  Ethno- 
graphic Museum  in  the  same  building.  They  wandered  through 
the  little  town,  and  were  enchanted  with  the  coziness  and  beauty  of 
the  place.  The  magnificent  beech  trees,  in  the  park,  shade  it  so 
completely,  that  although  it  was  a  sunshiny  summer  day,  the  whole 
place  seemed  like  a  vast  church  with  dark  and  shaded  aisles.  The 
old  wall  of  the  city,  now  turned  into  a  park,  amused  them,  with 
its  up  and  down  of  moat  and  embankment  covered  with  turf,  filled 
with    good-sized    trees   and  wooden  seats. 

They  kept  on  from  the  park  in  an  omnibus  to  Tivoli,  which  is  the 
most  celebrated  summer  garden  of  all  Europe ;  the  entrance-ticket  ad- 
mitted them  to  all  the  different  shows,  of  which  there  were  many,  the 
trouble  being  to  decide  which  to  see,  when  several  entertainments 
were  going  on  at  the  same  time.  In  one  place  was  a  little  open-air 
theatre,  of  which  the  curtain  was  an  enormous  peacock's  tail  with  the 
feathers  all  spread.  When  tin'  play  was  to  begin,  this  curtain  fell  apart 
in  the  middle  and  shut  down  like  a  fan,  in  folds  on  either  side,  each 
feather  sliding  over  the  other.  Before  the  stage  was  a  natural  amphi- 
theatre, consisting  merely  of  the  sloping  ground,  without  any  seats,  and 
here  the  audience  stood,  or  wandered  about  during  the  short  play.  A 
labyrinth  made  of  hedges  and  illuminated  with  colored  lights,  was  very 
extensive.  It  had  three  centres,  each  of  which  must  be  reached  in  turn 
from  the  others.     They  found  the   first  one  without  mueli   trouble;  but 


260  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

when  they  tried  the  path  thence  to  the  next,  they  only  came  back  to 
the  same  spot.  When  they  had  done  this  once  or  twice,  Mr.  Hervey 
suggested  standing  still  to  watch  some  other  people  in  the  crowd,  and 
see  how  they  accomplished  it.  Couples  set  out,  were  gone  a  minute  and 
then  appeared  again,  started  boldly  from  another  opening,  or  indeed 
often  from  the  same,  and  again  appeared  looking  abashed  and  confused, 
but  finally,  in  some  cases,  vanished  not  to  return.  Others  gave  up 
in  despair,  and  came  with  tears  to  the  policeman  in  the  centre,  begging 
to  be  shown  out. 

Mr.  Hervey  noticed  which  way  the  never-returning  parties  started, 
and  followed  in  their  track.  This  brought  them  to  the  second  circle, 
where  the  same  performance  was  repeated,  and  so  on  from  the  third  circle 
out  to  the  open  garden,  which  they  were  all,  by  this  time,  thankful  to  see. 
Mary  was  so  tired  she  begged  to  sit  down  ;  so  they  turned  their  steps  to  a 
concert-hall  and  refreshment-room,  with  little  tables  scattered  around,  and 
at  one  end  a  stage,  where  comic  songs  were  sung  and  various  little  char- 
acter scenes  performed  in  most  unintelligible  Danish.  There  was  an 
orchestra  in  the  gallery.  From  here  they  passed  the  borders  of 
a  lake,  winding  in  and  out,  among  colored  lights  scattered  along  the 
shore,  with  boats  of  all  kinds. 

In  the  course  of  their  wanderings  they  came  upon  an  elevated  railway, 
or  kind  of  aerial  snake,  in  which  the  two  rails  curved  up  and  down, 
resting  upon  trestles  and  only  attached  at  both  ends  to  high  towers. 
In  a  moment,  there  started  from  one  of  these  towers,  a  pony  phaeton, 
without  the  pony,  which  slid  down  the  inclined  rails  with  a  whizz, 
mounted  the  top  of  the  first  height,  down  the  next  incline,  and  so 
on,  and  in  a  moment  reached  the  distant  tower. 

Tommy  was  frantic  to  try  it,  and  Miss  Lejeune  at  last  unwillingly 
consented,  if  Mr.  Hervey  would  go  with  him.  The  two  rash  adven- 
turers mounted  the  stair-way  to  the  tower,  were  tied  into  the  carriage, 
the  leather  boot  was  buttoned  over  them  and  they  were  shoved  off 
the  dizzy  height.  Their  hearts  went  into  their  mouths,  and  before 
they  were  sure  that  they  had  not  been  dashed  to  pieces,  they  found 
themselves  at  the  top  of  the  first  hump,  with  another  yawning  gulf 
staring  them  in  the  face.     Even  Mr.  Hervey  would  have  given  anything 


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COPENHAGEN.  263 

to  avoid  the  next  plunge,  and  Tommy  was  shrieking.  But  before 
they  had  time  to  realize  anything,  they  had  passed  that  descent, 
the  next  rise,  the  next  descent,  and  found  themselves  sliding  up 
the  last  slope  to  the  opposite  tower.  They  came  up  bang !  against 
the  rubber  buffer,  where  four  men  seized  the  car,  while  Mr.  Hervey 
and  Tommy  slid  down  the  stairs  with  an  abject  feeling,  blended, 
however,  with  a  desire  to  try  it  over  again,  to  really  see  how  it  was 
done. 

After  tins  experience,  Miss  Lejeune  insisted  upon  their  return  to 
the  hotel,  for  the  hour  was  late,  although  it  seemed  as  if  half  the 
attractions  of  the  garden  were  still  unexamined. 

The  next  morning  was  spent  in  exploring  the  Thorwaldsen  Museum, 
where  are  collected  most  of  the  works  of  the  most  famous  modern 
sculptors.  The  enclosed  court  contains  a  simple  grass-plot  where  is 
the  grave  of  Thorwaldsen,  covered  with  myrtle.  The  Night  and 
Morning  and  other  of  his  most  renowned  works,  already  familiar, 
were  to  be  seen  here  either  in  the  original  or  in  casts. 

"Where  do  the  people  in  Copenhagen  live,  aunt  Gns?"  asked 
Mary  at  dinner  that  day.  "  We  have  not  seen  a  single  private  house. 
It   is  all   parks,   museums,    churches,   and   palaces,  except    the    shops." 

"  I  realty  do  not  know,"  said  Miss  Lejeune.  "  Where  do  they  live, 
Mr.  Hervey?" 

••  Why,  you  see,  the  people  of  Copenhagen,  or  rather  of  Kjobenhavn, 
its  true  name,  live  in  Christianhafen,  Nyhafen,  and  Syngby,  just  as 
many   of  the    Boston  people  live,  not   in   Boston,  but  in   the   suburbs." 

In  the  afternoon  they  visited  the  Zoological  Gardens;  and  Tommy 
wrote  to  his  mother. — 

"There  is  such  a  nice  Zoological  Garden,  which  we  enjoyed  much. 
It  i>  a  great  big  park  with  cages  put  round  in  spots.  There  was  a 
heavenly  little  lion  which  rushed  round  its  cage,  and  rolled  on  its 
back,  and  growled  like  a  big  kitten.     We  were  quite  fascinated  with  it." 

From  Copenhagen  to  Christiania  was  a  Lovely  sail  of  about  twenty 
hours,  by  steamer,  along  tin'  coast  of  Denmark.  They  went,  up  the 
Cattegat  and  across  the  Skager-Rack,  just  as  if  they  were  in  a 
geography. 


£C4 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


"What  do  you  know  about  Tycho  Brahe,  Tommy?"  asked  Mr. 
Hervey,  ati»they  were  sailing  along. 

"  Is  it  a  kind  of  cake  ?  "  asked   Tommy. 

"  No,  he  was  a  little  boy  who  was  born  to  be  an  astronomer.  He 
saw  an  eclipse  at  twelve  years  old,  and  that  astonished  him  so  much 


TYCHO   BRAHE   OBSERVATORY. 


that  he  kept  on  examining  the  heavenly  bodies ;  and  the  king  of 
Denmark  built  him  an  observatory  on  one  of  these  islands,  in  1571." 

"I  don't  see  that  Norway  is  different  from  any  other  place,"  said 
Tommy.  "  I  thought  it  was  all  fiords,  cataracts,  and  peaked  mountains, 
and  here  it  is  flat  and  level  like  any  other  place." 

"Wait  till  you  get  to  the  North  Cape  and  you  will  see  mountains 
enough  to  satisfy  even  you,"  said  Mr.  Hervey.  "  Christiania,  as  you 
see,  is  a  pretty  little  cit}^  built  on  rolling  ground  at  the  head  of  this 
broad  bay.  The  houses  are  neat,  and  the  streets  clean.  One  of  the 
prettiest  things  near  Christiania  is  the  summer  residence  of  the  king,. 


COPENHAGEN. 


265 


which  we  must  see.  It  is  just  on  the  edge  of  the  bay,  with  its  pretty 
gardens." 

At  Christiania  they  made  arrangements  for  carjols  ( pronounced 
carrioles),  to  take  them  across  Norway  to  the  Romsdal,  at  the  entrance 
of  which  they  were  to  take  steamer  from  Molda  along  the  coast  to 
the  North  Cape. 

Carrioles  they  engaged  from  Mr.  Bennett,  the  Norwegian-English- 
man,  who   lives   in    Christiania    and    makes  all    the    arrangements    for 


SUMMER    J:I>II>i:\<  i;   OF   THE   KIXG,    CHRISTIANIA. 

English  travellers.  These  carrioles  are  a  sort  of  cross  between  a 
gig  and  pony  phaeton.  They  have  but  two  wheels,  and  the  seat, 
which  will  hold  only  one  person,  rests  on  the  long  .-halts;  if  you  imagine 
a  tea-spoon  with  a  place  cut  in  the  handle  for  the  horse,  a  seat  put 
in  tin;  howl  lor  the  passenger,  whose  feet  stretch  along  the  handle, 
and  the  tips  of  the  howl  resting  on  the  wheels,  you  may  have  some 
idea    of   ;l  carjol. 

The  only  baggage  which  can  he  carried,  must  he  of  the  lightest  de- 
scription, and  can  be  stowed  onl\  in  one  of  the  three  following  ways: 
the  small  handbags,  etc.,  may  be  placed  between  the  legs,  on  the 
handle  of  the  spoon;  gun-,  fishing-poles,  or  any  small  trunk  the 
traveller  may  unfortunately  have  taken,  musl  be  hung  underneath 
the    bod}'    of  the    vehicle,  while  large    valises  or    carpet-bags   may    be 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


strapped    on    the    axle-tree   behind  the  bowl  of  the  spoon,  and  there 
eits  the  boy  who  is  sometimes  sent  to  bring  back   the    horse. 


STREET   IX   CHKISTIAN1A. 

The  horses,  or  rather  ponies,  are  very  lively ;  qnite  small,  of  a 
cream  color,  with  manes  which,  like  the  stripes  down  the  back  and 
tail,  are  black.  This  mane,  always  kept,  close-cropped,  stands  np  stiff 
like  the  bristles  of  a  carpet-sweeper.  The}r  have  zebra-like  marks  in 
circles  round    their   legs. 

There  is  but  one  railroad 
of  any  length  in  Norway, 
and  that  connects  Christiania 
with  Trondhjem  ;  so  that  the 
travelling  has  to  be  done  bjr 
post  in  carrioles,  changing 
ponies  ever}r  Norwegian  mile, 
a  distance  equal  to  seven  of 
our  miles. 

If  you  prefer,  however,  in- 
stead of  taking  a  separate 
carriole  for  each  member  of 
the  party,  you  can  have  a 
little  dog-cart,  which  holds 
two,  but  which  has  no  springs. 
These    and  the  carrioles  are  old  house  in  norwat. 


COPENHAGEN. 

the  only  vehicles  which  the  country  affords,  except  a  kind  of  barouche, 
or  diligence,  as  it  is  called,  lately  introduced  on  the  main  routes  ot 
travel,  at  stated  times. 

Phrase-books  were  in  great  demand ;  the  Homers  became  familiar 
with  such  words  as  "  Hest,"  for  "  horse,"'  "  strax,"  "  immediately," 
"  godmorgen,"   "good  morning,"    "  Pige,"  for  "girl,"  and  others. 

Tommy  was  pleased  to  find  that  "eggs,"  "tea,"  "can,"  "cup," 
and  a  few  other    words  were   just   the    same   in   Norway  as  at  home. 

While  in  Christiania,  getting  ready  for  the  start,  they  spent  a  day 
as  guests  of  the  American  Consul  who  has  a  charming  house,  in  a 
suburb  called  Frogner.  It  was  a  long,  low  building  of  two  stories  ; 
a  door,  in  the  middle  of  one  side,  led  into  the  only  entry  in  the 
house,  which  consisted  of  a  double  chain  of  rooms,  opening  one  out 
of  another  throughout  its  whole  length.  In  the  summer  the  family 
live  in  the  northerly  chain  ;  in  the  winter  in  that  of  the  south.  At 
the  end,  is  one  immense  room  stretching  the  whole  widtli  of  the 
house,  which  was  built  for  a  ball-room,  but  which  is  now  used  for 
children    to  play  in. 

Here  they  first  saw  a  pretty  Norwegian  custom.  After  each  meal 
the  children  came  up  to  their  parents,  shook  hands,  and  said, 
"Thanks  for  the  meal." 


■A'vN. 


--s.^ 


OU)    BTOKEIIOUjiK    IN    XOKWAV 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


269 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

NORWAY. 

MISS  Lejeune  stepped  into  the  first  carriole,  and  started  her  pony, 
Mary  followed  in  the  next,  Bessie  in  the  next,  with  Tommy 
sitting  on  the  roll  of  shawls,  behind,  on  the  axle,  and  Mr.  Hervey 
bringing  up  the  rear  in  carriole  number  four.  A  little  postboy  rode 
behind    on   one   of  the  carrioles,  to    bring  back  the   horses. 

Their  route   lay   along    the    Miosen     Lake    to    Lillehammer.      The 


TRAVELLING   BY   CABRIOLE. 


road  was  dusty,  and  they  repented  already  not  having  taken  this 
part  of  their  journey  by  rail  and  steam-boat,  as  they  could  easily 
have  done.  They  found,  however,  charming  views  of  the  deep  lake, 
whose  bottom  is  a  thousand  feet  below  the  sea  level,  and  the  scenery, 
though  not  grand,  was  very  pretty  from  its  richness  nf  green.  At 
Sogstad,  they  passed  an  interesting  old  obelisk,  about  twelve  feet 
high,  in  memory  of  King  All".     On    it   are  carved  the  figures  of  four 


270 


NORWAY, 


horses,  one    only  of  which   has   a   rider ;   above  the   horses  a  fox,  and 
above  that  a  flying- eagle.     The    inscription,  in   Runic,   runs  as  follows  : 


Jurun  raisti  Stain  dini  eftir  Evin 
Venis  hanna  etha  aug  Gurdu  Ef 
Hrig-ariki  vien  Urula  Evia. 


By  the  time  they  reached 
Lillehaninier,  after  two  or 
three  daj^s  of  this  kind  of 
travelling,  they  became  ac- 
customed to  driving  up  to 
post-houses  every  seven  miles, 
calling  out  "  Hest !  strax  !  " 
(  horse,  quick  !  )  waiting  for 
the  old  horses  to  be  unhar- 
nessed, and  new  ones  put  in 
their  place,  and  starting  off 
again  on  the  next  Norwegian 
mile  or  Stunde.  Between  the 
post-stations,  as  their  ponies 
went  at  different  rates  of 
speed,  they  were  separated ; 
and  so,  when  they  set  out 
afresh,  they  often  changed 
their  order  a  little.  Some- 
times Mr.  Hervey,  for  a  short 
distance,  would  ride  behind 
on  Mary's  or  Bessie's  carriage, 
and  let  the  postboy  drive  his 
carriole. 

When  they  came  to  some 
waterfall  or  fine  view,  who- 
ever was  leading  the  proces- 
sion waited  for  the  others  to 
come  up. 


THE   VETTIFOS   WATERFALL. 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT.  271 

It  made  no  difference  who  led,  as  when  you  are  once  started  on 
a  Norwegian  highway  there  are  no  branch  roads.  All  you  have  to 
do   is   to    let   the    pony   follow  his  own    sweet   will. 

Some  of  the  post-houses  were  funny  old  specimens,  containing 
carved  furniture,  and  with  sanded  floors.  One  of  the  exciting  fea- 
tures of  the  day  was  to  determine  at  which  of  them  they  should 
stop    for    their   meals,  and   for  the    night. 

There  is  an  excellent  little  book,  which  gives  an  account  of  all 
the  posting  places  in  Norwa}T,  how  many  rooms  there  are  in  each, 
how  they  are  painted  and  furnished,  and  what  they  will  probably 
give  }'OU  to  eat  at  each  station  ;  so  that  3-011  can  arrange  }Tour 
route  to  stop  at  the  places  where  you  will  get  the  best  food,  and 
for  the  night,  at  houses  where  there  are  beds  enough  for  the  whole 
party.     This   book  was  their    favorite    study. 

Fresh  salmon,  eggs  and  Norwegian  rye-bread  were  the  chief  of 
their  diet.  It  was  not  till  the  second  day,  that  they  encountered 
the  flat-brod,  made,  as  Mr.  Hervey  asserted,  from  oat-meal;  though 
nothing  in  its  taste  or  appearance  would  have  led  one  to  suppose 
it  was  anything  but  paste-board.  One  day  they  were  quite  delighted 
with  a  dish  which  professed  to  be  jugged  hare ;  but  when  they 
came  to  eat  it,  Mr.  Hervey  was  the  only  one  who  could  swallow 
more  than  the  first  mouthful,  on  account  of  its  extremely  gamey 
taste  and  smell. 

They  passed  through  Lillehammer  to  the  first  station  beyond, 
Fosse-gaarden,  where  the  station  is  delightfully  situated  on  a  knoll 
above  a  grand  waterfall.  The  pine  forests,  and  the  beautiful  view 
of  the  river  and  valley,  made  it  the  most  attractive  spot  they  had 
yet  seen.  From  here  to  Dombaas  there  was  little  of  interest,  with 
the    exception  of   Colonel    Sinclair's    monument. 

In  1612,  during  the  war  between  Denmark  and  Sweden,  a  body 
of  Scotcli  troops  had  been  raised  for  the  service  of  Sweden.  They 
landed  in  Norwav,  to  fight  their  way  across  il,  nine  hundred  stroner.  com- 
manded  by  Colonel  George  Sinclair,  and  marched  aloner,  ravao-incr 
the  country  as  they  went.  At  Kringelen  an  ambush  was  prepared 
by  the  peasants,  who  hurled  down  upon  them  as  they  passed  an  ava- 


272 


NORWAY. 


lanohe  of  huge  rocks  and  stones.  The  majority  of  the  Scotch  were 
crushed  to  death  or  swept  into  the  river  and  drowned.  The  bold 
Norwegians   despatched    the  rest. 


OLD   BRIDGE    IN   THE    MOTTNTAEVS. 


The    government    requires    a   post-house    to    be     kept   every    seven 
miles,  and   so    in  some    cases    they    are    kept   by    rich     farmers,    who 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


273 


do  not  need  the  profit  of  it.  Dombaas  is  one  of  these,  the 
station-master  calling  himself  the  only  remaining  descendant  of  the 
old  Norwegian  line  of  kings.  The  family  are  not  allowed  to  marry 
except  those  of  their  own  royal  lineage,  and,  as  he  is  the  last  of 
them,  it  is  evident  he  is  destined  to  remain  single  to  the  end  pi 
his  days. 

Here  the  road  to  Trondhjem  branches  off;  but  our  party's  route 
was  through  the  Romsdal,  a  valley  at  the  head  of  one  of  the 
fiords,  perhaps    the  most    picturesque    in    Norway,    with    cragged   and 


ROM-DALSHORN. 


pinnacled  mountains  on  either  side,  and  thousands  of  waterfalls, 
leaping  from  point  to  point,  into  the  rocky  bed  of  the  river  below. 
The  road,  broad  and  hard,  is  a  marvel  (if  engineering  skill,  follow- 
ing the  river  as  it  winds  among  the  mountains,  now  cut  out  of  the 
side  of  a  precipice,  next  crossing  the  river  by  a  little  bridge,  and 
then  passing  through  a  quiet  valley.  They  drove  very  slowly  through 
the    Romsdal,   stopping  even    few    miles    to    leave     their    carrioles    and 


NORWAY.  275 

climb  up  to  soine  point  where  a  wonderful  view  was  to  be  obtained, 
or  crossing  one  of  the  little  torrents  from  the  mountain  side  over 
a  rustic  bridge,  to  watch  pieces  of  wood  rush  madly  down  to  circle 
in   a   whirlpool,   and   then   make   another   leap   onwards. 

At  one  of  the  stations  in  the  Romsdal,  they  had  a  dish  of  never- 


to-be-forgotten  trout,  fresh  from  these  mountain  torrents.  They 
stopped  to  climb  Storhaettn,  or  Greal  Hat,  a  mountain  the  view  from 
which  is  weird  and  magnificent ;  this  used  up  the  greater  part  of  the 
day.  Next  they  came  to  the  Mongefos,  a  waterfall  over  the  edge  of 
a  cliff  some  two  or  three  thousand  feet  high.  That  night  they  passed 
at   the    Hotel    r^ak,  tiie    gre  't   resort   of  English  tourists,  who   spend 


276 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


there  a  week  or  more  at  a  time,  salmon-fishing.  On  the  north 
is  the  Romsdalshorn,  a  pinnacled  mountain  over  four  thousand 
feet  high,  seeming  to  rise  sheer  like  a  church  steeple  ;  on  the  south 
are  the  Witch-peaks,  sticking  up  like  icicles  inverted.  Here,  having 
crossed  Norway  from  Christiansand  to  the  Atlantic  in  a  north- 
westerly direction,  they  abandoned  their  carrioles  with  not  unmixed 
regret,  for  although  they  loved  the  little  things,  still  it  was  rather 
rough   on    the  back   to   sit    up  straight,  in  one  position,  all  day. 

Now  came  their  first  experience  of  the  delights  of  voyaging  in 
still  waters,  among  the  islands  and  mountains,  through  narrow  fiords, 
and  again  across  broad  bays,  from  point  to  point  on  the  Norwegian 
coast,  in   a  little  steamer. 

The  first  afternoon,  as  they  were  sailing  between  precipitous  rocky 

walls,  they  were  obliged  to 


leave  the  exciting  scenery 
and  descend  to  dinner. 
Just  as  the  beefsteak  smoth- 
ered in  onions,  of  which 
the}r  were  to  have  so  much, 
during  their  Norway  trip, 
was  brought  on,  Tommy 
looking  through  the  port- 
hole over  their  heads  cried 
out  : 

"  Oh,  see    that   tiger !  " 
"  Nonsense  ! '?  said  Mary, 


FOKT  MUNKHOLMEN,   NEAR  TEONDHJEM. 


but  turning  round  she  added,    "  why  it  is,  really ! " 

"  It  can't  be,"  said  Bessie.  But  they  all  rushed  up  on  deck  to  find 
the  steamer  going  through  a  place  so  narrow  that  they  could  have  touched 
the  shore  on  either  side.  Directly  opposite  the  round  window  was  a 
striped  cat,  little  larger  than  the  common  size,  basking  in  the  sun.  As 
they  had  seen  it,  close  against  the  window,  without  imagining  it  could 
be  less  than  twenty  feet  off,  its  size  was  increased  in  proportion  to  the 
square  of  the  distance,  and  so  it  appeared  like  a  veritable  tiger. 

Mr.    Hervey's   first   duty    on    going   on    board   the   steamer  was   to 


NORWAY. 


277 


make  a  bargain  for  the  meals  of  the  party,  for  these  were  not 
included  in  the  ticket;  and  Norway  travellers  who  make  none, 
find  at  the  end  of  the  trip  not  only  that  the}-  have  to  pay  for 
the  regular  meals,  but  also  that  the  steward  has  kept  account  of  each 
extra  charge  as,  for  instance,  a  cup  of  tea  or  coffee  called  for 
before  breakfast  and  after  dinner,  for  which  they  have  to  pay  a 
round    price. 

When  they  first  started  from  any  city,  the  fare  on  the  steamer 
was  very  good,  but  as  they  were  farther  and  farther  away  it  grew 
worse,  and  if  the  boat  was  crowded,  the  last  day  before  they 
readied    another  large    town  there  was  really  nothing  fit    to   eat. 

At  Trondhjem,  where  they  arrived  after  five  hours*  sail  upon  the 
ocean  up  the  long  fiord,  they  spent  two  or  three  days.  The 
cathedral,  dating  from  1183,  was  a  source  of  unfailing  pleasure  to  Miss 
Lejeune  and  Mr.  Hervey,  with  its  curious  plan  and  ancient  archi- 
tecture, and  to  Mary  as  well ;  but  Bessie  and  Tommy,  after  they  had 
examined  once  the  grotesque  carvings  of  men  crushed  under  beams, 
and  odd  kinds  of  animals,  voted  it  a  bore,  and  preferred  to  wander 
through  the  street  looking  at  the  odd  things  displayed  in  the  shop 
windows.  After  seeing  the  town,  and  making  one  or  two  excur- 
sions to  waterfalls,  they  embarked  on  another  steamer  bound  for  the 
North  Cape,  which  for  the  next  two  or  three  weeks  was  their  home. 


TIJONDIIJEM. 


278  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


THE  JOHN    SCHONING. 


THE  faces  of  the  passengers,  English,  American,  French  and  German, 
soon  became  familiar,  and  before  the  second  week  was  passed, 
what  with  walks  on  deck,  landing  to  climb  mountains  and  visit 
little  towns,  exchanging  novels,  singing  in  the  evening,  mutual  con- 
fidences as  to  likes  and  dislikes  of  the  different  passengers,  many 
of  them  seemed  like  old  acquaintances,  and  friendships  were  made 
to  be  kept  up  by  letters  long  after  they  reached  home. 

Mary  and  Bessie  especially  enjoyed  the  singing,  although  it  was 
hard  to  find  songs  common  to  English  and  Americans ;  but,  while 
Anne  Mills  of  Liverpool  sang  "  God  Save  the  Queen,"  Mary  joined 
in  with  "  My  Country,  'tis  of  Thee  !  "     . 

Miss  Mills  and  Mary  did  a  great  deal  of  sketching  together,  for 
which  Miss  Mills  gave  the  example  by  her  steady  perseverance,  seizing 
her  block  every  time  the  steamer  stopped,  and  going  to  work  on  the 
picturesque  mountains,  while  some  of  the  other  amateurs  on  board 
spent  five  or  ten  minutes  deciding  whether  the  steamer  was  going 
to  stop,  then  hunting  up  the  captain  to  ask  him  how  long  the}r 
were  going  to  stay,  going  down  finally  to  their  state-rooms  for 
their  materials,  when,  just  after  the}r  had  their  first  washes  in,  the 
steamer  would  up  anchor  and  away ;  meanwhile  Miss  Mills  had 
got  far  enough  along  to  finish  her  sketch  while  they  were  sailing 
along.  They  had  a  contempt  for  a  girl  who  was  always  making 
meaningless  outlines  with  lead  pencil,  on  the  smooth  j)aper  of  her 
diary,  of   the    distant   mountains. 

The  steamer  stopped  every  four  or  five  hours  at  some  little  trading 
station ;    there  was  an    indefatigable   English    clergyman  on  board  who 


THE  JOHN  SCHONING. 


27& 


always  headed  a  party  to  land  and  take  a  little  tramp  into  the 
country,  called  back  sometimes  by  the  whistle  of  the  steamer  before 
they  got  well  started ;  but  sometimes,  if  there  were  many  barrels 
to  be  left,  or  many  stock-fish  to  be  taken  on  board,  they  had  time 
for  a  long  walk    and  a    chance    of  stretching   their    sea-legs. 

Now  there  began  to  be  no  night,  and  the  wonder  was  when  the 
people  of  these  towns  did  their  sleeping,  for  at  whatever  hour  of 
the  twenty-four  they  landed,  they  found  everybody  up  and  business 
-driving.  Mr.  Hervey  suggested  the}'  took  occasional  naps  between  the 
■coming  of  the   steamers  in  summer,  and  then  slept  all  winter. 

On    the    steamer    the    passengers    at  first  found  it  difficult  to  know 

when  to  go  to  bed; 
but  they  too  soon 
got  into  the  way  of 
looking  ahead  in  their 
guide-books,  and  con- 
sulting the  captain 
as  to  the  time  of 
reaching  the  most 
picturesque  scenery, 
in  order  to  sleep  at 
other    times. 

It  was  rather  up- 
setting, however,  al- 
ways to  go  to  bed 
in  broad  day-light, 
sometimes  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, rising  at  four 
or  live  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  again  going 
down  lo  their  berths 
at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  putting 
up   at   noon   tho   next  day.     They    learned    to    darken    (heir    windows, 


CHUiiC'H  OF  Tin;  twi  i.i  in  '  i.vn'KY, 


280 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


draw  the  curtains,  and  pin  up  brown  paper.  Miss  Lejeune  was 
the  only  one  of  the  party  who  never  thoroughly  acquired  the  art 
of  going   to   sleep    at  any  time    that    was   convenient. 

One  evening,  when  they  had  gone  to  bed  between  eight  and 
nine,  and  after  Mary  had  slept  for  four  or  five  hours,  she  woke 
to  find  Bessie's  berth  unoccupied.  After  waiting  some  time,  she 
slipped  on  her  wrapper,  and  went  on  deck,  where  she  found  Bessie 
the  sole  occupant,  oblivious  of  time,  absorbed  in  the  pages  of  "  Arne," 
by  Bjornson. 

"  Why,  Bessie  !  "    exclaimed  Mary,  "do  you  know  what  time  it  is?"" 

"No;    nine    or  ten,  is  it   not?" 

"  My  child,  it  is  three !  and   I    have  been   asleep   these  five    hours!" 

"Oh,  is  it?  well,  wait  till  I  finish  this  chapter.'"  Mary  descends;, 
another    hour,  and    mo  Bessie. 

"  This  time  3011  really  must  come ! "  and  Bessie  was  reluctantly 
forced    to  go   to  bed. 

There    was  great   excitement   the   evening   they  were   to    cross    the 


UESTMAND. 


Arctic  circle.      They    consulted    maps,    and    the    large    ship-charts,  to 


THE  JOHX  SCHONING.  281 

discover  the  exact  line  where,  for  the  first  and  last  time,  they  should 
enter  the  Frigid  Zone.  They  settled  on  the  island  and  rock  between 
which  it  must  run,  and  Tommy  kept  a  bright  look-out  for  it,  but  was 
disgusted  not  to  see  any  visible  sign  of  the  line  or  to  discern  any  dif- 
ference   in    the    temperature    of   the   two    zones. 

The  Arctic  circle  well  crossed,  the  Hestmand  appears,  like  a  huge 
man  on  horseback  swimming  through  the  water.  It  is  a  rock  risino- 
from  the  sea  fifteen  hundred  feet.  This  is  the  lover  of  Lekomo  who, 
as  he  came  riding  through  the  surf,  was  struck  by  a  sunbeam  and 
turned    into    stone. 

"  Here  is  Leko,"  said  Mr.  Hervey,  "  and  we  must  all  pay  our  sal- 
utation according  to  the  old  Nordland  usage.  The  maid  of  Leko, 
the  Daphne  of  the  North,  according  to  the  myth,  chose  to  be  turned 
into  stone  rather  than  yield  to  the  suit  of  her  impetuous  lover, 
the  Hestmand.  While  Leko  fled  and  the  huntsman  pursued,  at  the 
moment  at  which  the  maiden's  brother  came  to  her  aid,  his  hat 
was  perforated  by  an  arrow ;  the  sun  sank,  and  they  were  all  turned 
to    stone." 

As  they  passed  the  floating  hat,  (Torghatten,)  they  could  look 
through  the  hole  made  by  the  arrow.  Torghatten  is  a  mountain 
rising  nine  hundred  feet  out  of  the  water,  and  the  hole  made  by  the 
arrow  is  a  cave  extending  straight  through  the  middle  of  the  moun- 
tain ;  though  in  passing  only  a  point  of  light  can  be  seen,  this 
hole  is  really  over  a  hundred    feet    high,  and    six  hundred    feet  long. 

The  girls  tried  to  sketch  Leko,  the  Hestmand,  and  Torghatten 
with  the  hole,  but  as  the  steamer  did  not  stop,  they  could  only  get 
a  general  effect.  On  their  return  later  from  the  North  Cape  they  all 
landed    and    made   an    ascent    through    the    cave. 

The  morning  that  they  crossed  over  the  Vest  Fjorden,  from  Bodb" 
to  the  Lofotodden  Island,  was  the  only  time  that  any  of  the  passengers 
were  seasick,  and  it  seemed  very  strange,  after  the  smooth  millpond 
sailing,   to  be  once  more  tossing  and    heaving  upon  old  ocean. 

"Bodo  is  the  mosl  southern  station  from  which  the  midnight 
sun  can  be  seen  ;  here  it  is  visible  lor  a  month  or  more,"  said 
the    English    clergyman    to    a    group  of   passengers,  including  Tommy 


282 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


and  his  sisters.  "  At  the  North  Pole,"  he  continued,  "  the  sun  does 
not  set  for  six  months  or  more,  and  then  come  six  months  of  twi- 
light or  darkness.  South  of  the  Arctic  circle,  the  sun  rises  and 
sets  every  day  in  the  year,  as  with  us,  only  that  on  the  21st  of  June, 


TOlitiHATTEN. 


it  disappears  for  only  a  few  minutes,  and,  as  you  go  further  north, 
there  is  a  longer  period  of  time  during  which  the  midnight  sun  can 
be    seen." 

"Is  it  pitch  dark  at  the  North  Pole  in  winter?"  demanded 
Tommy. 

"You  forget  the  moon,  as  well  as  the  Aurora  Borealis,  which  would 
make   it   quite    light    there  I    should    suppose." 

"Yes.  Tommy,"  said  Mr.  Hervey,  joining  them,  "on  the  top  of 
the  North  Pole,  they  keep  an  electric  light  burning  all  winter,  equal 
in  brilliancy  to  all  those  that  light  Broadway  from  14th  to  34th 
street  put   together." 


THE  JOHX  SCHOXIXG.  283 

The  evening  after  they  left  Bodo,  if  evening  it  could  be  called, 
all  the  passengers  stayed  up  for  a  first  view  of  the  midnight  sun, 
which,  like  a  great  red  ball  of  fire  sank  still  lower  and  lower.  The 
waves,  rocks  and  mountains  were  all  lighted  with  ruddy  light.  The 
sun's  descent  was  less  and  less  marked.  It  seemed  to  pause,  and 
there  was  a  moment  when  a  few  declared  that  it  was  already 
coming  up  again.  Mary  and  Miss  Lejeune  could  not  agree  to  this; 
there  was  a  great  comparison  of  watches,  and  ship's  clocks,  as  the 
only  way  of  determining  when  it  was  twelve  o'clock,  when  its  course 
would  really  begin  to  be  upward.  Unfortunately  not  one  watch 
or  clock  agreed  with  another,  so  that  the  exact  moment  could  not 
be  accurately  known  its  nearly  level  course  changed  from  down  to 
up,  each  one  speaking   for  his  watch,  and    for   his  own  midnight  sun. 

After  they  crossed  the  Arctic  circle,  the  passengers,  on  pleasant 
nights,  rarely  went  to  bed  until  one  or  two  o'clock ;  for  the  most 
beautiful  effects  of  light  were  always  from  ten  till  one.  The 
appearance  of  the  midnight  sun  is  that  of  combined  and  pro- 
longed sunrise  and  sunset,  but  more  splendid  than  any  sunset  in 
our  latitude,  because  the  sun  is  for  so  long  a  time  just  above  the 
horizon.  Mary  and  Miss  Lejeune  tried  sketch  after  sketch,  all  dis- 
appointing themselves  when  compared  to  the  wonders  of  the  real  scene, 
but  which  proved  on  the  return  home,  to  be  more  satisfactory  to  those 
who  had  not  seen  the  reality.  After  ten  days  of  steady  sun-light, 
all  began  to  long  with  unutterable  longing  for  just  one  moment 
of  darkness. 

A  day  or  two  among  the  Loffodens  was  unmixed  pleasure,  for  the 
Steamers  sailed  from  island  to  island,  or  rather  from  mountain  to 
mountain,  as  these  islands  are  but  peaks  of  mountains  rising  abruptly 
out  of   the    sea. 

While  in  tins  region  they  passed  a  steamer  returning  from  the 
North    Tape,   which   led    Miss   Lejeune    to   say, 

"Now  that  we  have  seen  all  the  most  beautiful  part  of  Norway, 
and  the  midnight  sun,  is  it  worth  while  to  spend  a  week  more  just 
for  the  sake  of  saying  we  have  been  to  a  point  of  land  further  Nortli 
than  the   mainland   of  Europe  or  America?" 


2fii 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT 


Just  then  the  captain  said,  "See  those  people  on  the  other  steam- 
er !  Well,  they  are  a  party  of  Cook's  excursionists,  just  back  from 
the  North  Cape  on  the  Jonas  Lee." 


SVOLVAER  IN  THE  LOFFOPENS. 


"That  settles  it!"  said  Miss  Lejeune.  "Nothing  would  induce  me 
to  be  for  a  day  even  on  a  steamer  with  a  party  of  Cook's  excursion- 
ists.    We  will  stick  to  the  John  Schoning." 


REINDEER. 


**a 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


REINDEER. 


THE  day  before  the  party  were  to  arrive  at  Tromso,  the  second 
mate  went  round  among  the  passengers  inquiring  how  many 
were  going  up  to  the  Lapp  Encampment,  and  telegraphed  ahead  to 
have  the  reindeer  driven  down  from  the  mountain  for  the  passen- 
gers to  see. 

Lapps  are    quite    numerous  in    this  part  of  Nordland,  and  there  is 


CATHEDR  M.   CHURCH,    TllnVO, 


almost  always  an  encampment  of  them  in  the  valley  opposite  Trom- 
so during  the  summer.  One  or  two  had  come  on  hoard  the  steam- 
er  at    the    Loffoilen    Islands;    and    it    was    hard    to    say    whether    the 


286 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


Lapps  were  the  most  amused  with  the  passengers,  or  the  passengers 
with  the  Lapps.  They  showed  them  their  knives,  watches,  eye-glasses, 
and  telescopes,  but  what  interested  one  of  them  most  were  some  little 
rubber  bands  that  Mary  had  round  her  \  dint-brushes,  which  she 
gave  him.  He  evidently  had  never  seen  india-rubber  before,  and  he 
took  no  end  of  delight  in  stretching  it  to  its  widest  extent,  and 
letting  it  spring  back.  After  he  had  played  with  them  some  time 
he  handed  them  back  to  her,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  he 
could   be   made    to   understand  that   they  were  for   his  very   own. 

These  Lapps  wore  loose 
blouses  belted  in  at  the 
waist,  which  served  as  a 
trunk  into  which  they 
packed  all  their  clothes 
and  other  possessions.  As 
they  are  very  short,  the 
effect  was  curious.  Tom- 
my thought  they  had  made 
a  mistake  and  ought  to 
be  standing  the  other  way, 
because  they  were  wider 
than    they  were  high. 

They  wore  knives  hang- 
ing from  the  belt  in  oddly- 
carved  sheaths  made  from 
reindeer  horn,  and  orna- 
mented with  sketches  of 
reindeer  and  sleds.     Tom- 

LAPPS.  .1  tt 

my    wanted    a     cap    like 
theirs   with  a    flat    top    and   four   square   corners. 

From  Tromso  the  passengers  were  rowed  over  to  the  mainland, 
and  proceeded  to  walk  up  to  the  Lapp  encampment.  Mr.  Hervey, 
Tommy  and  Bessie  were  in  the  first  boat-load,  some  time  before  the 
others.  Seeing  some  snow  on  the  hills  but  a  little  way  above  them, 
they   concluded  to   spend   the   time  of  waiting  in  climbing  up  to  it. 


REINDEER.  287 

When  they  reached  it,  Bessie,  who  was  tired,  sat  down  to  rest, 
and  Mr.  Hervey  stayed  with  her,  while  Tommy  explored,  after  strict 
injunctions  not  to  go  beyond  call.  lie  succeeded,  however,  in  en- 
tirely losing  his  way  in  the  low  underbrush,  and  instead  of  call- 
ing out,  he  tried  to  find  his  way  back  without  aid.  This  ended 
in  carrying  him  round  the  spur  of  the  hill  into  another  ravine. 

When  he  did  not  return,  or  answer  to  their  calls,  Mr.  Hervey, 
seeing  Miss  Lejeune  and  the  rest  of  party  waiting  below,  set  out 
in  search  for  him.  He  very  soon  followed  Tommy's  example,  and 
could  rind  neither  Tommy  nor  his  way  back  to  Bessie,  who,  how- 
ever, showed  her  usual  good  sense,  and  descended  a  snow  rivulet 
to  the  group  of  passengers  below,  where,  after  much  sounding  of 
horns,  whistling  and  calling,  Mr.  Hervey  and  Tommy  at  last  ar- 
rived, coming  from  entirely  opposite  directions.  The  distance  to  the 
encampment  was  about  three  miles,  of  the  worst  walking  that  can 
well  be  imagined,  over  stumps  and  through  underbrush.  The  path 
was  always  muddy,  and  it  seemed  half  the  time  to  be  the  bed  of  a 
brook.  Added  to  these  discomforts  were  swarms  of  mosquitoes  which 
surrounded  them.  Miss  Mills  and  the  other  English  people  were 
amazed  at  these  little  flies,  as  they  called  them,  never  having  seen, 
heard,  or  felt  a  mosquito  before.  When  they  were  told  they  were 
very  common  in  America,  they  expressed  a  decided  preference  for 
never  seeing  that    country. 

Mary  and  Miss  Lejeune,  as  well  as  most  of  the  passf  vers,  turned 
back  before  more  than  a  third  of  the  distance  was  accomplished. 
They  tried  to  persuade  Bessie  and  Tommy  to  go  with  fnsm,  but  they 
were    determined    to    sec    the  reindeer,  no  matter  at  v,     it  cost. 

Just  as  they  reached  the  encampment  the  herd  can  j  down  from 
the  mountain,  driven  by  men  and  boys,  running  and  shouting.  They 
drove  them  into  a  sort  of  corral,  or  enclosure  made  of  tree-stumps, 
the  brandling  and  interlocking  roots  of  which  formed  a  high  fence; 
one   very  large  stump  serving   for    a  gate. 

The  huts  of  the  Lapps  were  built  of  mud  and  bark,  like  old-fash- 
icned   bee-hives,  with   ;■   round  hole  in  the  roof  for  a  chimney. 

Bessie   and  Anne   Mills    tried   more    than   once    before   they   could 


288  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

venture  to  go  inside,  so  filled  was  the  hut  with  smoke  from  the  fire 
burning  on  the  middle  of  the  floor,  and  the  horrible  odor  of  the 
undressed  skins,  which  composed  the  clothing  of  the  women  and  chil- 
dren, mixed  with  tobacco  smoke  and  cooking.  The  women  begged  for 
tobacco,  giving  in  exchange  rudely-carved  spoons  made  from  reindeer 
horn.  Bessie  took  up  one  of  the  Lapland  babies,  a  mite  which  could 
not  have  weighed  more  than  four  or  five  pounds,  sewed  up  in  the 
undressed  skin  of  a  reindeer.  But  the  atmosphere  of  the  hut  was  too 
much  for  them,  and  they  soon  left  it  for  the  open  air.  They  found 
the  children  very  attractive; — short,  round  little  dumplings.  It 
seemed  impossible  to  distinguish  between  little  girls  and  grown-up 
women,  they  were  all  so  small. 

Tommy  tried  some  reindeer's  milk,  from  a  very  dirty  bowl.  None 
of  the  others  had  courage  to  attempt  it ;  he,  however,  wanted  to  use 
his  new  horn-spoon,  and  went  at  it  boldly  ;  but  he  could  not  swallow 
it.  He  described  it  as  sickishly  sweet,  and  tasting  like  cod-liver  oil. 
They  got  back  to  the  steamer  hungry  and  tired,  their  feet  muddy, 
wet  through  and  through,  but,  nevertheless,  so  much  pleased  with 
the  excursion,  that  some  of  the  other  passengers  were  tempted  to 
make  the  trial  the  next  morning.  Whether  they  really  reached  the 
encampment  was  never  known  ;  but  they  came  back  a  veiy  draggled 
and  disgusted  party.  The  steamer  had  been  waiting  an  hour  or  two 
for  them,  and  now  steamed  off  on  its  way  to  Hammerfest,  the  most 
northerly  town  in  the  world. 

Bessie  wrote    to  Phil  this  account  of  the  reindeer : 

"After  this  we  all  went  into  a  sort  of  staked  place,  where  the 
deer  were  to  be  milked.  The  Lapps  ran  shrieking  among  them, 
catching  them  with  lassos,  and  then  milked  the  does.  There  were 
some  very  sweet  little  deer  that  looked  like*  small  kids,  but  the  large 
deer  were  ugly,  shabby  looking  things  with  long  noses,  large  flat 
hoofs,  and  not  such  nice  horns  as  I  had  imagined.  They  grunt,  just 
like  pigs,  all  the  time.  Tommy  tried  some  milk,  but  found  it  most 
nasty." 

Very  little  is  known  of  the  origin  of  the  Lapps.  They  are  an 
honest,  simple,  and  hospitable   people,  supposed  to  have  sprung  from 


REINDEEK. 


289 


a  colony  of  Finns,  although  they  are  at  present  very  unlike  that 
people.  From  the  earliest  times  they  have  led  a  nomade  life,  wan- 
dering wherever  they  can  find  the  moss,  which  is  essential  for  their 
reindeer,  which  is  so  important  to  them ;  for  they  drink  the  milk, 
feed  upon  the  flesh,  make  spoons  of  the  horn,  clothes  of  the  skin, 
and  cord   of  the    sinews,  and    drive    them   in   sledo-ino-. 

The   Lapps  are    despised  by  the  Norwegians,  whose  feeling  towards 


SDllTU   CAPE. 


them  is  a  strong  prejudice.  There  is  a  good  deal  about  them  in 
Jonas  Lie's  novels,  translated  by  Mrs.  Ole  Bull,  which  Mary  had 
read    and   now  wished  she  had  with    her. 

Hammerfest  is  a  great  trading  place  for  the  Russians,  who  come 
round  in  summer  from  the  White  Sea.  Its  latitude  is  70°  10'  N.  ; 
but,  owing  to  the  Gulf  Stream,  it  is  warm  even  in  winter  ;  and  the 
water    does    not    freeze    enough  to    prevent  fishing  all  the  year  round. 

Here  they  landed  to  see  if  they  could  buy  furs,  but  the  prices 
seemed  higher  than  in  Throndhjem,  and  the  smell  of  the  cod-liver 
oil  manufacture  which  pervaded  the  town,  soon  drove  them  back  to 
their   steamer.     Every  one   was  thankful   to  leave   Hammerfest. 

It  was  a  cold  cloudy  afternoon  when  they  first  sighted  the  North 
Cape.  The  water  was  a  dingy  brown  and  very  rough.  Except  the  Cape, 
no  land  was  in  sight  wherever  they  looked. 


290  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

Most  of  the  passengers  retired  to  their  state-rooms,  for  the  vessel 
was  pitching  and  tossing  more  than  they  had  before  experienced. 
As  they  swung  round  before  running  under  the  shelter  of  the  Cape, 
it  seemed  as  if  the  steamer  would  go  over  on  her  beam-ends.  All 
the  things  which  had  been  left  lying  about  during  the  quiet  voyage 
of  the  past  days  now  rolled  upon  the  floor,  and,  with  every  lurch 
of  the  vessel,  dashed  madly  from  side  to  side.  Tumblers,  field- 
glasses,  work-baskets,  shawl-straps,  tooth-brushes  and  shoes  were  mixed 
in  hopeless  confusion ;  and  not  one  of  the  party  would  have  stirred 
from  his  berth,  if  the  thing  he  valued  most  in  the  world  had  been 
threatened   with  destruction. 

As  they  came  under  the  shelter  of  the  North  Cape,  it  was  quiet, 
and  all  crawled  up  on  deck.  The  boats,  launched  to  land  them,  were 
found  to  be  so  dried  by  the  sun  pouring  down  on  them  day  and 
night,  except  one  small  one,  which  had  been  in  constant  use,  that  they 
all   filled    with    water,  and    had    to    be    hauled   up    on    deck    again. 

The  landing  threatened  to  be  so  serious  an  affair,  on  account  of 
the  small-sized  boat,  the  choppy  waves,  and  the  rocky,  jagged  coast, 
that  all  the  ladies  of  our  party,  on  the  advice  of  the  captain,  gave 
up  the  attempt  in  despair,  and  consoled  themselves  with  plying  for 
cod  all  night,  while  the  gentlemen  landed.  Miss  Mills,  and  a.  stout 
Englishwoman  of  some  fifty  summers,  were  the  only  ladies  who  ven- 
tured. They  were  in  the  first  boat-load,  and  they  had  a  hard  time 
getting  on  the  rocks.  Mr.  Hervey,  from  the  bow,  sprang  on  shore 
as  soon  as  the  boat  came  within  leaping  distance,  and  tried  to  hold 
the  boat  when  it  touched  the  rock ;  but  in  vain,  for  the  retreating 
wave  tore  it  from  his  grasp.  They  tried  it  again  and  again,  the 
men  leaping  ashore ;  at  last  they  managed  to  wedge  the  boat  be- 
tween two  rocks  for  an  instant,  and  the  ladies  were  unceremoni- 
ously pulled  out. 

This  was  only  the  beginning  of  troubles,  for  the  Nord-Kap  is 
nearly  a  thousand  feet  high,  sheer  up  from  the  rocks  at  its  base,  and 
the  landing  here  is  the  only  possible  place  of  ascent.  There  are 
no  trees  or  shrubs,  except  the  loose  boulders  and  rocks,  with  here 
and     there    scanty  grass,   and     a  few  scattered   forget-me-nots,  which. 


1 


BEIISTDEEE.  293 

Miss  Mills  plucked,  and  carried  back  as  mementos  of  the  most 
northern  point  of  land  of  either  continent,  The  top  of  the  Cape 
proved  to  be  a  vast  tract  of  bare  and  desolate  moor,  with  the  dull 
gray  sea  dashing  at  its  foot  far  below.  Nothing  but  water  between 
them  and  the  North  Pole  !  Each  one  put  the  customary  stone  at 
the  foot  of  a  flagstaff  which  was  erected  there  at  the  time  of  the 
visit    of    King  Oscar. 

The  descent  was  even  worse  than  going  up.  Loose  rocks  rolled 
from  beneath  their  feet,  and  many  of  the  men  simply  sat  down  and 
allowed  themselves  to  slip  along  the  loose  rocks,  checking  their 
speed  now  and  then  by  grasping  at  a  boulder.  However  pleasant 
this  might  be  for  them,  Mr.  Hervey  and  Miss  Mills,  who  had 
started  first,  picking  their  way  slowly  and  carefully,  were  in  immi- 
nent danger  from  the  loosened  rocks,  which  came  jumping  and 
dashing    down. 

When  the}r  reached  the  bottom,  they  found  the  Englishwoman, 
who,  having  tried  in  vain  to  ascend,  aided  by  half  the  gentlemen 
of  the  part)-,  had  given  up  in  despair,  and  rolled  back  to  the  boat, 
where  she  was  rescued  by  the  sailors.  Miss  Lejeune  and  the  girls, 
on  hearing  this  account,  thought  they  had  done  wisely  to  stay 
behind    fishing,  although    they  had    not    caught    a    single    cod. 

Day  and  night  had  been  mixed  before,  but  now  it  seemed  im- 
possible to  straighten  them  out ;  the  climbers  had  started  on  their 
expedition  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  got  back  to  the 
steamer  at  five  in  the  morning,  when  they  had  a  meal,  whether 
breakfast,  dinner,  or  supper  they  could  not  determine,  and  then  went 
to    bed,  to   get    up    that   afternoon  at    two    to    breakfast. 


294  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


RETURNING. 


ON  their  way  southward,  there  was  but  little  new  to  excite  the 
party,  as  the  course  was  the  same.  They  passed  through  the 
famous  Maelstrom,  about  which  they  had  studied  in  their  geography, 
without  so  much  as  knowing  it. 

Stopping  at  Torghatten,  they  climbed  up  to  the  cave,  and  explored  it. 
Mr.  Hervey  explained  to  Tommy,  though  Tommy  does  not  yet  under- 
stand it,  that  the  rock  was  gneiss,  and  that  the  cave  had  been  produced 
by  the  degradation  of  a  vein  of  mica.  Bessie's  theory  was  that  the 
hole  must  have  been  worn  by  the  sea,  and  that  the  ocean  must  have 
been  some  hundred  feet  higher  in  past  times. 

At  dinner  one  day,  it  was  rumored  that  their  boat  was  to  go  up  a 
fiord  where  no  steamer  had  ever  been  before,  to  take  a  Norwegian 
pastor  and  his  famil}r  on  board,  who  were  to  be  transferred  from  the 
extreme  northern  to  the  southern  part  of  their  country.  All  the 
passengers  gathered  on  deck  to  see  the  new  fiord.  The  steamer  sailed 
into  a  large  bay  surrounded  by  precipitous  mountains,  and  at  the  head 
was  a  little  fishing  station  ;  but  there  was  no  sign  of  other  houses,  or 
of  any  church.  Mr.  Hervey  and  Miss  Lejeune  wondered  where  the 
pastor  could  live,  and  where  his  congregation  could  come  from,  for 
there  was  not  a  single  building  on  the  sides  of  the  land-locked  bay,  or 
the  surrounding  hills.  But  suddenly,  as  the  boat  reached  the  apparent 
head  of  the  bay,  appeared  a  narrow  gap  between  the  mountains, 
through  which  they  shot.  The  cliffs  on  either  side  were  worn  smooth 
by  past  glacial  action,  and  contained  many  curious  pot-holes,  and 
deep  basins  worn  into  the  solid  rock. 

Going  from  this   narrow  passage,  they  entered  another  land-locked 


AVATKKI  ALL. 


RETURNING. 


297 


bay  or  lake,  with  no  houses  on  its  shore,  and  no  visible  outlet;  but 
again  the  steamer  wound  through  a  narrow  cleft,  and  so  kept  passing 
from  one  bay  to  another.  In 
one  of  these,  Mary  spied,  thou- 
sands of  feet  up  on  the 
mountain-side,  two  little  water- 
falls starting  from  points  far 
apart,  leaping  from  rock  to 
rock,  that  joined  half  way  down 
and  finished  their  course  to- 
gether, thus  forming  a  letter 
Y  in  water-colors.  ■  The  series 
of  bays  past,  they  came  out 
into  a  broad  river,  where  the 
high  mountains  had  sunk  to 
low  hills  and  rolling  country, 
and  finally  prepared  to  anchor 
opposite  a  little  village  nestling 
on  the  side  of  one  of  these 
hills, 

"Why  does  not  the  vessel 
anchor  ?  "  asked  Bessie. 

"I  can  not   make  out,"  said  Mr.  Hervey  ; 
Loinmy. 

Tommy  came  back  to  report  that  they  had  been  sounding  with 
the  longest  line  they  had  on  board,  and  failed  to  find  bottom  ;  so 
the  boat  was  obliged  to  move  slowly  against  the  current,  in  order  to 
keep  in  or  about    the    same    plaee. 

The  shores  were  crowded  with  people,  who  had  come  from  fifty 
miles  in  all  directions  to  see,  for  the  first,  and  perhaps  the  last 
time  in   their  lives,  a  steamboat. 

The  John  Schoning  was  soon  surrounded  by  a  motley  fleet  of 
boats,  crowded    with  wondering  spectators. 

A  flat  boat  soon  came  along  side,  with  some  men  bringing  a 
cow,    two    sheep,    and    a    little    Norwegian    pony,  which    snorted    and 


SKIKTING    THE   TYKIFJOKD. 
i 

suppose  you  go   and  see, 


29S 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


plunged  so  violently  at  the  strange  sight  of  the  steamer,  that 
the  little  craft  came  near  being  tipped  over,  and  they  had  to  row 
back  to  the  shore.  Later  they  made  another  attempt,  and  ended 
by  swinging    the    pony    up    by  means  of  a    strap    under    his    body. 

As  they  stood  watching  it,  Bessie  said 
to  Mary  in  a  low  tone, 

"Does  not  this  remind  you  of  Mrs. 
Chevenix  at  Havre  ?  " 

"  For  shame  !  "  said  Mary,  but  she  could 
not  help  smiling. 

Tommy  and  Bessie  made  an  excursion  to 
the  bow  to  examine  the  household  furniture 
of  the  pastor,  and  reported  as  follows : 

"  A  great  many  boxes  painted  red  with 
funny  kinds  of  figures  burnt  into  them, 
an  old  ramshackly  carriole,  two  or  three 
empty  butter-tubs,  old  broken  chairs,  tables, 
and  riffraff,  and  other  things  which  we 
should    consign    to    the   rubbish-hole." 

But  what  interested  Tommy  most  was 
a  pair  of  long  wooden  skates,  worn  by 
Norwegians  to  slide  down  the  mountains. 
They  are  about  eight  feet  long,  and  turned 
up  in  front,  somewhat  like  a  large  hockey- 
stick. 

At  last  came  the  pastor,  his  sister,  wife, 
and  eleven  tow-headed  children  ;   the  oldest,. 

NORWEGIAN   MINISTER.  ft  yQ^h   Qf    about    sixtee^   and    the    youngest 

a  baby  in  arms.  All  his  chief  friends  and  parishioners  came  on 
board  with  him.  Their  parting  with  a  minister  who  had  been  set- 
tled over  them  ever  since  his  marriage,  and  who  had  never  left 
them  even  for  a  week,  was  very  touching.  He  had  been  trans- 
ferred to  a  parish  in  the  South  by  the  Government,  according  to 
the  Norwegian  custom,  and  most  of  his  people  felt  that  they  should 
not    see   him    again  before    they    died.      As    they    kissed    the    pastor's 


RETURNING. 


.'09 


wife,  tears  streamed  down  their  faces  and  down  hers.  Soon  the 
good  man's  self-command  gave  way,  and  he  was  sobbing,  and  as, 
one  after  another,  the  long  row  of  peasants  bade  him  good-bye  and 
went  back  to  their  boats,  taking  a  last  wistful  look  at  their  dear 
teacher,  some  of  the  passengers  were  so  affected  that  they,  too, 
began  to  cry,  and  even  Mr.  Hervey  walked  forward  to  hide  the 
moisture    in    his    eyes. 

As  the  steamer  set  sail  again  down  the  fiord,  Miss  Lejeune  said, 
"  Come,    children,  it    is  time    to    go    to    bed.'" 

"  Not    so   soon   after   dinner,"  urged  Tommy. 


OX    UUI!   WAY    SOUTHWAKD. 


"It   is   one    o'clock!"  Mr.    Hervey    replied. 

At  Trondhjem,  Mr.  Hervey  found  that  by  exchanging  steamers, 
instead  of  waiting  for  the  John  Schoning,  they  would  be  able  to  save 
three  days.  They  were  due  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  at 
Trondhjem,  and  the  other  steamer  was  to  leave  at  six  ;  but  it  was 
seven  o'clock  before  they  arrived.  Still,  as  the  last  twenty  miles 
had  been  up  the  fiord,  and  they  had  kept  a  sharp  look-out,  they 
were  sure  the  othei  steamer  had  not  passed  them. 


300 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


Their  baggage  was  all  ready  on  deck,  and  they  had  said  farewell 
to  the  fellow-passengers  of  this  long  trip,  whom  they  might  never 
meet  again.  Mary  was  especially  sorry  to  leave  Miss  Mills,  and  thejr 
exchanged    many  promises  to    write. 

Taking  the  first  boat  that  came  off  to  the  steamer,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  catching  the  other  vessel  after  she  had  started,  from  a 
landing    at  another  part  of   the    town. 

They  had    to    make    another    connection    to     Molde    the    next    day, 


I.AZKKKTTO. 


for  the  steamer  which  was  to  bear  them  south  to  Christiansand. 
Mr.  Hervey,  taking  warning  by  the  Trondhjem  experience,  inquired 
of  the  captain  if  they  were  likely  to  reach  Molde  at  the  hour  of 
twelve  o'clock,  when  they  were  due,  as  the  other  steamer  left  at  two. 
But  at  two  o'clock  they  were  far  from  reaching  Molde,  and  Mr. 
Hervey  had  given  it  up  as  a  bad  job.  At  four,  as  they  were  ap 
proaching  Molde,  the    captain   cried, 


RETURNING.  303 

••  Quick  !  if  you  want  to  take  the  steamer,  throw  your  baggage 
into  the  boat !  "  and  before  they  well  knew  what  had  happened,  they 
and    their   possessions  were    all    on    board   the    other    vessel. 

Mr.  Hervey  inquired  of  the  captain  how  they  happened  to  start 
so    much   later    than    the  proper    time. 

"  Wiry,  your  captain  telegraphed  us  that  you  wanted  to  go  with 
us,"    he  replied. 

"  What !  and  you  waited  three  hours  for  us ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Her- 
vey. 

"  Of   course." 

The  Homers  congratulated  themselves  upon  this  difference  between 
the    way  things  are  managed  in  Norway  and  America. 

Christiansand  is  a  flat  town,  of  which  the  streets  are  all  built  at 
right  angles,  the  houses  painted  white,  and  the  sewers  run  in  open 
Slitters.  Thev  took  a  steamer  for  Amsterdam.  Thev  had  a  day  to 
wait,  and  they  found  by  the  guide-book  that  there  was  a  bathing  es- 
tablishment for  ladies  on  the  shore  of  the  fiord  half  a  mile  below 
the  town.  So  Tommy  rowed  the  girls  to  it,  and  went  off  himself 
to  an  island  for  a  swim.  The  Norwegian  ladies  were  much  aston- 
ished at  the  prowess  in  swimming  of  our  American  girls,  admiring 
the  boldness  with  which  they  plunged  from  the  upper  platform  of 
the  bath-house  into    the    bay. 

Their  steamer  started  at  twelve  o'clock,  and  at  one  they  were 
taking  their  last  farewell  of  Norway. 


304  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

MEETING. 

ONE  day,  towards  evening,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Horner  arrived  in 
Cologne,  at  the  Hotel  du  Nord.  They  immediately  inquired 
for  their  party,  who  were  to  meet  them  there  that  day ;  but  were 
assured    that    no    such    persons    had    arrived. 

"Are  you  sure?"  demanded  Mr.  Horner;  he  again  described 
them,  repeating  their  names,  and  desired  to  see  the  register.  It 
was  not  convenient  to  show  him  the  register,  but  it  was  abso- 
lutely certain  that  no  party  answering  the  description  were  in  the 
hotel. 

They  resigned  themselves  to  the  delay ;  and  Mrs.  Horner  started, 
in  her  dressing-gown,  with  sponge  and  towel  in  hand,  to  seek  the 
sumptuous  bath-rooms  of  this  hotel  for  a  refreshing  plunge.  Passing 
through  a  long,  silent  corridor,  she  heard,  through  a  partly  open 
door  a  little  in  front  of  her,  the  merry  chatter  of  voices,  and  the 
familiar  sound  of  English.  Just  as  she  rather  wistfully  was  going 
by  this   room,  out    came  —  Bessie   and    Tommy! 

"Mamma!"  they  cried. 

"My  darlings!"  she  exclaimed.  In  an  instant  she  was  in  the 
room,  which  proved  to  be  the  chamber  of  Miss  Lejeune,  and  they 
were  all  at  once  in  each  others'  arms.  The  Norway  party  had  been 
in  the  house  since  yesterday,  were  fully  registered,  and  had  charged 
all  the  clerks  they  could  see  to  keep  them  informed  of  the  arrival 
of  their  friends.  Mr.  Hervey  was. now,  probably,  watching  the  dros- 
chkys  as  they  came  from  the  station,  although  they  had  been  in 
doubt    as   to  which    train  would    bring    the    Homers  from  Brussels. 

But   all    annoyance    was    forgotten   in   the   joy    of  meeting.      Mary 


MEETING. 


305 


sstaesx  .•-, 

maey's  boots. 


was  summoned  from  her  room,  hard  by,  and  the  laughing  and  talk- 
ing and  crying  of  the  next  few  moments  were  mingled  in  equal 
proportions. 

"  Look  at  my  boots,  mamma  !  "  said  Mary.  "  Did  not  they  hold 
out   well?" 

"  I    hope  you  have  some  new  ones  !  "  replied   her  mother. 

Tommy,  after  a  time,  was  despatched  to  hunt  up  Mr.  Hervey  and 
Mr.  Horner.  He 
found  them  togeth- 
er in  the  office, 
mildly  reproving 
the  voluble  clerk. 
Mrs.  Horner  went 
on  her  way  to  her 
bath ;  and  later 
they  all  met  at  the 
table  d'hote  dinner, 
where  their  brown  complexions,  animated  gestures,  and  fund  of  talk, 
amazed  the  rest  of   the    company. 

It  was  so  good  to  be  all  together  again  that  they  could  hardly 
settle  themselves  to  the  inspection  of  the  "  worst-smelling  city  in 
Europe  ; "  nevertheless,  postponing  all  narrations  of  travel  to  the  fu- 
ture, they  spent  their  day  in  Cologne  in  examining  the  beauti- 
ful cathedral,  lately  completed   through  the  public    spirit    of    Prussia. 

Its  foundation  was  laid  1248,  and  the  building  proceeded  slowly 
till  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  when  it  was  completely 
abandoned.  After  that  it  fell  more  and  more  into  decay,  and  in 
1796    was    used    by  the  French  as  a  hay  magazine. 

Frederick  William  IV.,  of  Prussia,  rescued  it  from  total  destruc- 
tion, and  since  1816  the  work  of  restoration  has  been  going  on  until 
its  completion  in  1880.  The  master  mind  which  planned  it  is  un- 
known ;  but  modern  architects  have  endeavored  to  carry  out  his 
designs,  and  the   effect    is  wonderfully   harmonious  and  beautiful. 

Miss  Lejeune  and  Mary  snatched  a  few  minutes,  while  the  rest 
were   buying  the  real   Jean  Maria  Farina  and  Gegeniiber  cologne,  to 


306  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

look  at  the  collection  of  paintings  of  the  very  early  Cologne  school, 
by  Meister  Wilhelm,  (a.  d.  1380),  Meister  Stephan  (a.  d.  1410),  and 
their  followers.  The  pictures  looked  about  as  they  wished  them  to, 
and  they  were  content. 

After    two  nights  in    Cologne,  they  found    themselves,  on    a  bright 


AMSTERDAM. 


July  morning,  comfortably  installed  on  the  open  deck  of  the  Lorelei, 
steaming  up  the  Rhine.  Baedeker's  and  tourists'  guides  were  in 
their  hands,  and  they  bought  more  guides  and  maps,  from  wander- 
ing boys  who  brought  them  about,  as  they  do  "  Harper's  "  and  the 
"  New  York   papers  "  in    America. 

For   the   first   day  their    attention    was    taken    from    the   banks   of 


MEETING. 


307 


HOLLAND. 


the  river,  by  their  desire  to  relate  their  adventures.  The  Norway 
party  felt  all  in  the  dark  about  the  others*  experiences,  for  they 
had  often  missed 
their  letters;  just 
as  they  left  Co- 
logne, indeed,  a 
fat  packet  was 
put  into  Mr.  Her- 
vey's  hands,  for- 
w a  r  d e  d  fro  m 
Christiansand. 

Philip  had  much  to  tell  about  the  attractions  of  Brussels,  which 
is  a  lovely  city,  a  smaller  Paris,  of  delightful  shops  and  quaint  build- 
ings. The  costumes  of  the  people  in  the  streets  and  of  the  sol- 
diers had  interested  them.  Windmills 
and  canals  he  pronounced  to  be  the 
chief  characteristics  of  Holland.  The 
mamma  had  found  it  all  charming ; 
and  she  wound  up  with  the  state- 
ment that,  "  Next  time  we  must  all 
go  there." 

Their  first  Rhine  day  took  them 
to  Coblenz,  during  which  they  passed 
the  Drachenfels,  a  castle  of  the  twelfth 
century,  a  complete  ruin  since  the 
Thirty  years'  war.  The  cavern  half- 
way up  the  hill,  is  said  to  have  been 
the  home  of  the  dragon  that  Siegfried 
killed  ;  and  when  he  bathed  in  its 
blood  he  became  invulnerable.  Mary 
wondered  if  the  k' dragon's  blood" 
of  Newman,  a  delicious  tint  in  water 
color,  came  from  the  same  source. 
There  is  a  beautiful  view  from  the 
ton.    but    the    Homers    did    not    stop 

IN   BRUSSELS.  wl 


308 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


DRACHKSFELS 


for  it.     Miss  Lejeime  read  to  them,  from  the  guide-book,  Byron's  cele- 
brated lines,  which  pleased  the  rest,  but  Jack  pronounced  them  "  bosh." 
At    Coblenz    they  stayed    over    for    a    day,  and  climbed  to  the   for- 
tress of   Ehrenbreitstein,  three  hundred  and  seventy-seven  feet  above 


MEETING.  309 

the  level  of  the  sea.  It  has  long  been  a  fortress  of  great  importance, 
and  has  only  twice  been  taken,  once  by  stratagem,  and  once  reduced 
by  famine.  During  the  French  revolution,  betweeen  1795-1798,  it 
was  besieged  four  times,  and  finally  surrendered  to  the  French;  but 
in  the  restoration    of  all    things    to  the  Prussians,  the    French  had  to 


COBLEXZ    AND    EHRENBREITSTEIN. 


pay  them  fifteen  millions  of  francs,  to  repair  the  fortifications.  The 
view  from  the  fortress  is  magnificent,  for  at  Coblenz  the  Rhine  is 
joined  by  the  Moselle,  and  the  two  gleaming  rivers,  winding  off  in  the 
distance,   are   seen    far    below    as    on    a    map. 

The  second  day  the  river  was  narrower,  and  the  steamer  passed 
one  ruined  castle  after  another,  till  the  children  were  all  fairly  tired 
of  running  from  side  to  side  of  the  boat  to  see  them.  They  now 
began  to  have  an  ardent  desire  for  ruins,  and  to  stop  and  examine 
the  winding  stairs  and  crumbling  arch-ways  of  those  they  saw  from 
the    river;    but    their  father  only    smiled    arid    said, 

"Wait   till    we    get   to    Heidelberg/' 

"Why   df)   we  go    to    Heidelberg,  papa?"  asked   Tommy. 

"  Because  we  all  of  us  think  the  castle  the  most  interesting  ruin 
in    Germany,"  replied   his  father;    "and    Mr.    Hervey    says    the  place 


310 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


is,    perhaps,    the    most    picturesque    and    beautiful    in    all    Europe." 
"  I   love    it !  "    affirmed  Miss  Lejeune.      "  I   was   there  only  for  one 

day,  and  I  have  been 
longing  to  get  back 
there  ever  since." 

"  Besides,  it  fits  in  to 
what  you  already  know 
about  the  history  of 
Europe,*'  added  Mr. 
Horner. 

Heidelberg  became 
the  capital  of  the  Pa- 
latinate in  1228;  a  part 
of  the  castle,  still  re- 
maining, was  built  by 
Rupert,  who  was  chosen 
to  be  Roman  emperor  in 
1400.  Frederic  V.,  the 
Winter-king  of  Bohe- 
mia, husband  of  Eliza- 
beth of  England,  daugh- 
ter of  James  I.,  whose 
unfortunate  history  the 
Homers  knew  well, 
lived  here,  and  made 
splendid  additions  to  the 
castle.  It  suffered  much 
in  the  Thirty  years' 
war,  but  it  was  to  Louis 
XIV.  that  it  owed  its 
destruction,  for  when 
he  was  fighting  the 
Austrians  in  1688,  he 
allowed  the  Palatinate 
to  be  overrun  by  his  wild  troops,  and  the  castle  itself  was  blown  up  by 


A.    i).     1400. 


MEETING. 


311 


theni  in  1698.  Again,  it  was  struck  b}T  lightning  in  1764 ;  the 
walls  alone  remained,  but  so  vast  is  their  extent  that  they  still  form 
a  most  imposing  ruin.  Since  the  beginning  of  the  century,  Heid- 
elberg has  belonged  to  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  and  the  modern 
garden  has   been  laid   out  with  charming  walks. 

In  1799,  the  soldiers  of  the  French  revolution  were  at  Heidelberg, 
but  by  that  time  there  was  little  left  for  them  to  destroy.  They 
attempted    to    tap  the  great    tun,  which  they  supposed    to    be   full  of 


MOUSE    TOWER. 

Rhenish    wine,    and    its    sides     still    bear    the     marks    of    their    futile 
blows. 

While  the  Homers  were  reading  up  these  things  in  their  guide- 
books, they  were  steaming  up  the  river  toward  Mayence  ;  and  were 
frequently  interrupted  to  look  at  castles,  and  once  for  the  rock  of 
the  syren  Lorelei,  where  she  used  to  sit  and  comb  her  hair,  and 
allure  fishermen  to  their  destruction.  They  saw  the  Mouse  tower, 
and  repeated  the  poem  about  Bishop  Hatto,  which  all  of  them  knew, 
beginning, 


112  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

"The  summer  and   autumn  had  been   so   wet 
That  in   winter  the  grain   was  growing   yet  ; 

'Twas   a   piteous  sight,  to   see    all   around 

The  corn   lie    rotting  on    the  ground." 

A  pleasant  English  family  were  going  up  the  Rhine  at  the  same 
time  with  the  Homers,  and,  as  it  happened,  selected  the  same  places 
for  stops  that  they  did.  The  two  parties  had  made  some  little 
advance  towards  acquaintance  on  the  first  day,  so  that,  when  they 
found  themselves  again  together  on  their  next  boat,  the  surprise 
was  a  pleasant  one,  and  they  greeted  each  other  cordially.  For 
the  rest  of  the  time  they  kept  together.  There  were  a  papa  and 
mamma,  rather  elderly,  named  Challoner,  with  a  young  lady,  their 
daughter,  a  little  older  than  Mary,  who  proved  very  pleasant  and 
talkative,  after    overcoming  her   first    shyness. 

"  How  very  odd  it  seems,"  she  said  one  day,  "  that  you  call  your 
brother    Jack.     His   name    is   Philip,  is  it   not  ? " 

"It  is  odd,"  replied  Mary,  "so  odd,  in  fact,  that  I  think  we  shall 
give  it  up  now.  My  father's  name  is  Philip,  and  Ave  began  to  call 
my  brother  Jack    to    avoid  confusion." 

"  But,    surely   3rou    could    not     confound    a    little    boy    with    your 

father  ?  " 

» 

"  Oh  no,"  replied  Mary  laughing,  "  but  in  calling  from  one  part 
of  the    house   to    another,  I  mean." 

"Oh!    do    you   do    that    in    America?"  asked    Miss    Challoner. 

"  I  wish,"  exclaimed  Bessie,  "  that  I  could  get  to  the  bottom  of 
this    Palatinate    business.     What    is    a   Palatinate    any  way  ? " 

"My  dear,"  said  her  mother,  "it  is  only  a  different  name,  like 
State  or  county,  for  the  domain  of  one  ruler,  under  the  emperor. 
This   Palatinate   is    the    State    to    which   the    Upper    Rhine    belongs." 

"  Why  do  not  they  say  '  state,'  or  '  county,'  then,"  said  Bessie, 
petulantly ;  "  then   a    person   could   understand." 

Mary  added,  "It  is  as  if  the  Hudson  were  sometimes  in  New 
York    and  sometimes    in    Massachusetts." 

"And,"  continued  Philip,  "as  if  Governor  Long  should  besiege 
Albany,  and  blow  up   the   State  House." 


rs=* 


MEETING.  313 

"Who   is    Governor  Long?*'  asked    Miss    Challoner. 

"He    is    the    Governor   of    Massachusetts,"    replied    Tommy,  proud 
of     knowing     so 
much. 

"  Oh !  but  I 
thought  your 
king  was  called 
a  President,"  re- 
plied Miss  Chal- 
loner. 

"  You  see,  Bes- 
sie," remarked 
her  father,  "  that 
our  States  are  as 
confusing  to  out- 
siders as  Duchies 
and  Palatinates 
are   to  us." 

At  Mannheim, 
the  junction  of 
the  Rhine  and 
N  e  ck  a  r  rivers, 
the  Challoners 
left   them. 

The  Homers 
stayed  over  one 
day  in  this  quiet, 
orderly  town,  saw 
a  few  Dutch  pic- 
tures in  the  gal- 
lery of  the  Schloss,  and,  leaving  now  the  Rhine,  passed  ou  to 
Heidelberg. 


.»<u«'S»T. 


314  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


HEIDELBERG. 


I  THINK,"  said  Mr.  Horner,  "that  we  will  go  to  the  Hotel 
de  l'Europe,  which  is  just  opposite  the  railway  station.  Then 
we  can  drive  up  and  see  the  castle  to-morrow  morning,  and  look 
round  the  town  in  the  afternoon,  although  I  do  not  find  in  Baed- 
eker that  there  is  anything  worth  seeing  except  the  castle.  We 
will  take  an  early  dinner  at  five,  and  go  on  by  the  evening  train  for 
Stuttgard." 

As  it  was  nine  o'clock  when  they  arrived,  they  all  went  to  bed 
at   once,  tired   from    their  journey. 

The  next  morning,  according  to  programme,  they  took  droschkys 
for  the  castle.  They  rode  up  the  Anlage,  a  broad  road,  lined  with 
trees,  skirting  the  town.  At  the  church  of  St.  Peter,  Mr.  Horner 
called  to  the  driver  to  stop :  and  they  were  delighted  with  the 
quaintly-carved  gravestones  at  the  side  of  the  church,  and  the  walls 
matted  and  overgrown  with  ivy.  Here  is  the  tomb  of  Olympia  Morata, 
an  Italian  donna,  a  professor  of  philosophy,  who  settled  in  Heidelberg 
and    lectured    to    crowds   of  students. 

At  the  foot  of  the  road  which  led  up  the  hill  from  the  town 
to  the  castle,  Mr.  Horner  and  the  children  got  out,  and  walked  up 
the  narrow,  rambling  street.  It  was  all  so  uneven,  the  houses  so 
old  and  small,  that  they  were  delighted  with  it,  and  began  to  wish 
to  live  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  walk  up  every  day.  At  the 
top  they  reached  the  English  Garden,  and  gained  their  first  view 
of  the  castle  from  this  point.  On  entering  the  garden  they  passed 
under  the  triumphal  arch  built  by  Frederick  V.,  in  honor  of  his  wife, 
Princess    Elizabeth    Stuart,  the    granddaughter    of    Mary,    Queen     of 


HEIDELBERG.  317 

Scotts,  for  whom  the  garden  was  laid  out.  From  the  edge  they 
could  overlook  the  town  far  below,  and  Tommy  discovered  a  flight 
of  winding  stairs  leading  down  from  the  garden,  through  a  sort  of 
tower.  He  was  eager  to  explore  it,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
first  ten  stairs  were  missing,  and  that 
the  entrance  was  fenced  off  and  con- 
cealed   by    shrubs. 

Mrs.  Horner  and  Miss  Lejeune 
thought  this  garden  the  most  delight- 
ful spot  they  had  seen  in  Europe ; 
they  could  not  think  of  leaving 
Heidelberg  that  night;  they  did  not 
know  what  the  castle  and  the  rest  of 
the  grounds  might  prove  to  be,  but 
they  were  not  at  all  sure  they  should 
be  willing  to  go  away  from  the  spot 
they  were  in  before  dark.  The 
children,  too,  were  delighted  with  the 
shady  nooks  concealing  statues,  and 
the  glimpses  of  the  little  pond  and 
grottoes  in  the  castle    moat   below. 

At  the  end  of  the  garden  they  came 
to  the  walls,  twenty-two  feet  thick,  of 
the  Thick  Tower,  of  which  only  the 
half  next  the  garden  remains,  the 
part  nearest  the  town  having  been 
blown  up  by  the  French  in  1689.  This  tower  can  be  seen,  at 
the  extreme  right  of  the  castle,  as  you  face  it  from  the  bridge 
over  the  Neckar,  with  the  English  garden  stretching  back  from 
it   to    the    hill. 

Hence  they  looked  up  the  valley  of  the  Neckar  to  the  Rhine, 
with  the  purple  Vosges  in  the  distance,  and  the  town  and  river 
at   their    feet. 

"  I  never  should  be  tired  of  looking  at  this  view !  "  exclaimed 
Mary. 


OX    TUE    TKHRACE. 


318 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


"My  dear!"  said  Mr.  Horner,  "do  you  know  it  is  time  now  for 
lunch,  and  the  droschkys  have  been  waiting  for  two  hours '/  At 
this  rate,  we  shall  not  get  through  Heidelberg  to-day.  Perhaps  we  had 
better   go    back    now    to    the   hotel,    and  make  up  our    minds  to  stay 


HEIDELBERG   BRIDGE. 


longer,  for  we  have  only  Keen  one  of  the  twelve  buildings  that 
make   up   the    castle." 

"  At  that  rate,  Tommy,  how  long  should  we  have  to  stay  in  Hei* 
delberg  ?  " 

"  Twelve    days,  sir." 

"  Why,  Tommy,"  said  Bessie,  "  are  you  not  going  to  do  anything 
in   the    afternoon    and    evening  ? " 

"  If  we  are  going  to  stay  and  do  up  Heidelberg  thoroughly,  I 
think  we  will  drive  across  the  bridge  and  along  the  bank  of  the 
Neckar  this  afternoon,  and  get  a  general  view  of  the  castle  and  town 
from  a   distance,"  said  Mr.  Horner. 

This  drive  proved  beautiful.     Tommy  exclaimed,  "Why  do  all  the 


HEIDELBERG.  319 

men  in  Heidelberg  wear  all  these  funny  little  round  caps  and  dif- 
ferent colors  !  They  all  seem  to  have  top  boots,  great  big  dogs,  and 
little    short   canes    with   big    buttons    on    them    for   heads ! " 

"  These  are  the  corps-students,'1  said  Mr.  Hervey.  "  There  is  a 
university  of   eight  hundred  students  at  Heidelberg,  founded  in  1386." 

"What    are  corps-students?"  cried    Mary  and    Bessie    in  a  breath. 

"  The  corps  are  very  much  like  the  secret  societies  in  our  Ameri< 
can   colleges,    except    that   these   have  duelling  for  the  main   object." 

v-  I  should  think  if  they  all  killed  each  other,  there  would  be  no 
societies   left,"    said  Philip. 

"  No ;  they  only  wound  each  other  in  the  face  and  head,"  said  Mr. 
Hervey.  "  I  will  look  up  an  old  acquaintance  of  mine  who  used 
to  live  here,  and  see  if  we  cannot  get  admittance  to  the  Hirsch- 
Gasse,  the  inn  where  all  the  duels  are  fought,  somewhere  on  this 
side  of  the  river.  That  is  it,  I  believe,  now,"  he  added.  "  You,  Phil, 
your  father  and  I,  will  go  some  day  while  we  are  here.  Tommy 
is   too   young,  and  ladies  are   never    admitted." 

They  recognized,  from  this  bank  of  the  river,  the  view  of  the 
celebrated  town  and  castle,  by  Turner,  an  engraving  of  which  huno- 
in    their   library  at   home. 

They  came  back  in  time  to  go  up  to  the  castle  at  sunset,  and 
hear  the  baud  play  on  the  Grosse-Terrasse ;  and  then  they  took 
supper  at  the  restaurant,  waiting  to  see  the  moon   rise    over  the  hills. 

If  the  castle  had  been  charming  by  day,  it  was  still  more  so 
by  moonlight,  and  they  could  hardly  make  up  their  minds  to  go  back 
to    the    hotel,  at   the    further  end    of   the    town. 

So  next  morning  they  left  the  Hotel  de  l'Europe,  and  moved  to  the 
Prinz  Carl,  directly  under  the  castle.  From  here  a  little  footpath 
led  up  from  the  front.  On  the  way  up  they  looked  into  beautiful 
private  gardens,  which  had  originally  belonged  to  the  castle  grounds, 
through  archways,  past  broken  stairways  and  walls  with  heraldic 
carvings.  At  last,  under  a  covered  passage-way,  and  up  a  broad 
flight  of  old  red  stone  steps  covered  with  moss,  with  carved  lines 
at  the  top,  they  reached  the  Altan,  a  broad  terrace  in  front  of  the 
facade  of   the    principal    building. 


320 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


,1    l 

la  ^° 


*>   * 


Bessie  and  Tommy,  and  indeed  the  others,  never  tired  of  sitting  in 
the  little  watch-towers  at  the  corners  of  the  Altan,  and  looking  up 
first  at  the  Frederick  building,  its  front  covered  with  ornate  carv- 
ing  and   statues  of  the  ancestors  of  Frederick  V.,  dating  from   Char- 


HEIDELBERG.  321 

lemagne  and    Otto    of    Wittelsbach,  then    at  the  octagonal  tower,   at 
the  extreme    left,    and    down    into    the  beautiful   gardens    below. 

The  children  came  up  every  day  and  spent  long  hours  wander- 
ing around  the  walks  and  through  the  castle  buildings.  They 
went  to  work  to  learn  the  geography  of  the  place,  but  it  was  days 
before  they  mastered  the  plan,  with  its  German  names,  enough  to 
thoroughly  know  their  way  about;  and  even  to  the  last,  they  were 
finding  new  underground  vaults  and  stairways  in  different  parts  of 
the    grounds. 

Mr.  Hervey  grew  so  interested  in  these  secret  passages  that  he 
persuaded  Mr.  Horner  to  let  Phil  go  up  with  him  one  night,  taking 
a  dark  lantern,  to  explore  some  of  them  where  he  more  than  sus- 
pected the  authorities  would  not  allow  them  to  venture  if  they 
knew  about  it.  They  scrambled  down  the  stairway  which  Tommy  had 
discovered  the  first  day;  after  going  down  and  round  until  their 
legs  fairly  ached,  and  they  were  sure  they  were  now  below  the  level  of 
the  town,  they  came  to  an  arched  doorwa}"  which  had  been  walled  up. 
Mr.  Hervey  was  sure  this  was  the  secret  passage  which  in  old  times 
led  under  the  town  and  river,  and  had  its  other  opening  up  on  the 
mountain  on  the  other  side,  the  last  resort  as  an  escape  from  the 
castle. 

They  explored  many  other  passages  with  the  same  result,  coming 
at  last  always  to  walled-up  doors.  They  found,  however,  one  short 
stairway,  leading  to  a  number  of  underground  apartments,  the  last  one 
of  which,  with  an  arched  roof,  was  called  the  Underground  Chapel. 
Here  they  brought  the  whole  party  the  next  day,  and  the 
children  made  a  point  of  revisiting  it  whenever  they  came  to  the 
castle,  and  looking  out  from  its  arched  windows  into  th,  ^astle  moat, 
still  further    below. 

This  was  near  the  Gesprengte-Thurm,  which  is  so  solidly  bunt,  that 
half  of  it,  when  the  tower  was  blown  up  by  the  French,  instead  of 
breaking  to  pieces,  only  slid  down  in  a  solid  mass  to  the  ditch 
below. 

Bessie  discovered  one  day,  as  she  was  standing  by  an  old  foun- 
tain   in  the  court-yard,    and     looking    out    through     an    arch    in    the 


322  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

Frederick  building  across  the  Altan,  to  the  hills  beyond  the  Neckar, 
that  she  was  looking  at  the  real  scene  of  a  picture  she  had  always  ad- 
mired   in    her    friend    Lilly  Wainwrighfs    room   at    home. 

Each    chose    his    favorite    point ;    Tommy's  was   the    great   tun,  the 


FRENCH   AT   HEIDELBERG,    1799. 

largest  wine-cask  in  the  world,  with  room  enough  on  its  top  for  a 
dancing   party. 

Bessie's  was  the  ancient  well  with  pillars  brought  from  Charle- 
magne's  castle  at  Engelheim. 

Philip   stuck  to  the    Bl own-up    Tower. 

Mary  liked  best  the  view  looking  down  on  the  castle  from  the 
paths  on   the    hillside   above. 

Mrs.  Horner  never  afterwards  saw  anything  in  Heidelberg  equal 
to    her  first    view  of  the  English    garden. 

Why  Mr.    Hervey  chose    the    Rupert    building,    which    dates    from 


HEIDELBERG. 


323 


1400,  the  children  could  not  understand,  but  Miss  Lejeune  knew  it 
was  on  account  of  the  simplicity  and  grace  of  its  architecture,  com- 
pared with    the    ornate    work    of    the    later    buildings.      She   herself 


VIEW  FROM  THE  PATH  ABOVE. 


thought   nothing  equalled  the   combined  view  of  castle  and  town  from 
the  Altan,    while     Mr.    Horner     preferred   the  Otto-Henry-Bau,     the 


324 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


portion   the  most   magnificent  in    style  ;    and    he   brought  home  some 
fifty  large  photographs    of   this   part   of  the    castle. 

The  days  slipped  by,  and  they  found  at  last,  that  instead  of  one 
day  they  had  spent  nearly  two  weeks,  in  exploring  the  ruins  of  Hei- 
delberg and  the  surrounding  hills.  They  acquired  a  real  Jove  for  the 
old  place,     such    as  they  did  not  have  for  any  other    European  town. 

It  had  been  their  intention  to  go  as  far  as  Munich,  for  the  sake 
of  the  pictures  there,  and  to  hear  an  opera  of  Wagner '  performed 
in  the  highest  manner  ;  but  it  was  now  so  late  they  were  all  will- 
ing to  give  that  up.  Munich  is  a  hot,  glaring  city  in  warm  weather, 
and  they  heard  the  opera  house  was  closed  for  the  summer.  From 
Heidelberg,  therefore,  passing  without  stop  through  Stuttgard  and 
Ulm,    they  came  to  Lake    Constance    at    Friedrichshafen. 


MUNICH:  THE  "BAVARIA  "  AND  THE  HALL  OF  FAME. 


THE  BODENSEE. 


326 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


THE    BODENSEE. 


PARTING  from  Mr.  Hervey  was  the  worst  of  going  away  from 
Heidelberg ;  but  it  was  inevitable.  He  had  already  been  de- 
tained by  their  prolonged  stay  ten  days  beyond  his  intention,  and 
now  said   he  must    hurry  back    to    London   as   fast   as   possible. 

"My  vacation  is  over,"'  he  said  with  a  smile,  "  and  I  must  go  back 
to    school." 

"  School ! "     exclaimed    Tommy    indignantly,    "  as   if    you    did   not 
know  everything  already  !  " 

"  Never  too  late   to    learn   something,    my  boy,"  lie  replied. 

Their  last  evening  was  passed  on  the  terrace  of  the  English  Gar- 
den. The  moon  was  over,  but  the  soft  evening  air,  the  nightin- 
gales which  they  heard  here  for  the  first  time,  and  the  broad,  dim 
expanse  stretching 
vaguely  before  them 
in  the  twilight,  made 
an  impression  none 
of  them  ever  forgot. 
The  parting  was  that 
evening;  for  Mr.  Her- 
vey was  up  and  away 
the  next  day  very 
early  to  take  the  train 
for  the  North. 

A  little  later,  the 
Homers  found  them- 
selves on  the  way  to  amkkican  car. 


._■ 


\;- 


I 


326 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT, 


Lake  Constance.  The  train  was  composed  of  real  American  cars,  like 
those  at  home,  with  very  little  difference,  and  the  first  thing  they  saw 
was  a  young  girl  in  a  round  hat,  sitting  up  in  the  corner  of  the  "  car," 
exactly  as  if  she  were  going  to  Boston  from  New  York  on  the  South 
Shore  Line.  However,  the  jargon  of  Swiss-German,  and  wafts  of 
occasional  French  about  them,  soon  brought  their  ideas  back  to 
Europe  again. 

The  children  could  nut  agree  about  the  superiority  of  cars  or  car- 
riages for  railway  travelling.  Some  of  them  thought  it  was  delight- 
ful to  get  back  to  the  long  open  car,  where  they  could  see  all  the 
people  and  move  about  with  freedom ;  the  rest  preferred  the  cosi- 
ness and  retirement  of  the  European  compartment,  which  at  its  ut- 
most holds  only  eight  persons.     Afterwards,  in  Switzerland,  they  found 

themselves  once  or 
twice  so  crowded,  in 
cars  filled  with  excur- 
sionists, as  they  would 
be  called  in  America, 
large  families  armed 
with  baskets,  shout- 
ing to  each  other  in 
an  unearthly  patois, 
that  ail  acknowledged 
the  advantage  of  more 
privacy. 
K  fter  several  hours  of  railwav 
they  came  without  stopping  to 
Friedrichshafen,  on  Lake  Con- 
stance, and,  passing  through 
the  little  town,  they  were  car- 
ried by  a  branch  line  to  the  quay,  and  instantly  embarked  on  a  little 
steamer  for  Rorschach.  As  on  most  Swiss  lakes,-  small  boats  are 
plying  all  the  time  in  all  directions,  and  nothing  is  more  charming 
than  the  trips  upon  these  orderly  little  vessels. 

The  Lake  of  Constance  is   neutral  territory,  and    there  are  custom- 


THE  BODENSEE.  327 

house  formalities  to  go  through  with,  even  on  leaving  one  German 
town  for  another  ;  but  in  the  case  of  our  party  these  were  trifling, 
for  their  luggage  had  been  very  much  contracted  for  the  summer 
tour.  Modest  portmanteaus  took  the  places  of  heavy  boxes,  which 
had  been  left  at  Paris  in  the  care  of  their  bankers.  The  Norwe- 
gians had  accustomed  themselves  to  this ;  but  it  took  Mrs.  Horner 
some  time  to  grow  reconciled  to  the  very  narrow  quarters  left  for 
personal    effects. 

She  had  brought  from  Brussels  two  fresh  and  very  neat  flannel 
walking  suits  for  Mary  and  Bessie,  which  they  were  to  wear  through 
Switzerland. 

The  Bodensee,  as  Lake  Constance  is  called  in  German,  is  so  large 
as  to  appear  like  an  ocean  ;  from  man)'"  points  a  sea-line  only  is  visi- 
ble in  the  distance,  and  it  is  quite  capable  of  being  rough  enough 
to  cause  sea-sickness.  Luckily,  the  day  the  Homers  were  on  it  was 
a  lovely  one.  The  water  was  of  a  light-green  color,  and  the 
somewhat  low  shores  were  soft  and  hazy  as  they  faded  into  the 
distance. 

The  change  from  the  hot,  stuffy  train  in  itself  was  agreeable,  and 
the  little  voyage  was  a  delight.  The  spirit-thermometer  of  the  Horner 
family  rose  to  its  highest  level  ;  for  it  need  not  be  concealed  that 
fatigue  and  discomfort  sometimes  brought  the  mercury  of  that  inStrU- 
ment  down  to  a  low  point,  indicated  by  silence,  fretfulness,  and 
indifference  to  the  beauty  of  the  scenery. 

The)'  readied  the  little  town  of  Rorschach  before  night,  and  went 
to  the  "  Griiner  Baum"  Hold,  simply  on  account  of  its  name,  and 
because   Baedeker  describes   it,  "with   garden   on   the  Lake." 

The  next  day  they  scattered  themselves,  each  according  to  his  in- 
clination, to  enjoy  the  sights.  Bessie  and  Philip  climbed  to  the  top 
of  an  easy  hill,  for  a  wide  view  of  the  whole  lake,  with  mountains 
encompassing  it,  but  in  the  distance  stretching  far  off  like  a  real 
sea.  They  tried  to  talk  with  a  little  gamin  who  was  idling  in 
the  grass,  but  his  German  was  not  the  same  as  theirs,  though  they 
made  themselves  understood  very  well,  generally,  by  the  people  in 
the   hotel. 


328  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

The  others  contented  themselves  with  walks  requiring  less  exer- 
tion, but  very  pretty  ;  unci  they  all  met  at  the  castle  of  St.  Anna. 
Mary  and  Miss  Lejeune  visited  the  bathing  establishment,  and 
found  the  water  of  the  lake  refreshing  and  delicious.  When  Bessie 
came  back,  hot  and  tired,  she  wished  she  had  done  the  same,  but  it 
was  too  late,  and  she  resigned  herself,  resolving  to  find  other  opportu* 
nities. 

The  next  day  they  went  on  by  rail  to  St.  Gallen,  making  an  ascent 
of  nine  hundred  feet  in  the  course  of  only  nine  miles.  This  is  a 
modern  and  difficult  piece  of  engineering,  and  dams  and  cuttings  suc- 
ceed one  another  without  intermission.  St.  Gallen  is  one  of  the  highest 
towns  in  Europe,  being  over  two  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea. 

The  Homers  took  this  route,  on  account  of  Miss  Lejeune,  who 
had  a  longing  to  come  to  St.  Gallen  to  look  up  an  old  friend, 
whose  acquaintance  she  had  made  ten  years  before  at  Gais.  On  the 
steamboat  coming  to  Rorschach,  the  children  persuaded  her  to  explain  it, 
and    this    was    the  tale : 

Ten  years  before  she  had  spent  several  weeks  at  Gais,  a  little  bit 
of  a  place  high  up  on  the  mountains  be}rond  St.  Gallen,  on  the  way 
to   AppenzelL 

"  How  did  you  happen    to  be    there  ?  "  asked  Mary. 

"  Miss  Emily  Carter  was  with  me  at  Veva}',  and  she  wanted  very 
much  to  see  a  lady  that  she  loved  dearly,  an  invalid  who  was  at  Gais 
for  the  milk-cure,  and  so  we  both  came  there,  and  it  was  so  pretty, 
we  decided  to  stay.  The  hotel  was  a  large,  noisy  sort  of  place,  and 
we  persuaded  the  wife  of   the  schoolmaster  to   take   us  to  board." 

"  What    is    the  milk-cure  ?  "  asked   Tommy. 

"  Drinking  a  great  deal  of  goats'  milk,"  replied  Miss  Lejeune. 
"  Night  and  morning,  they  drive  the  goats  up  before  the  door,  and  they 
stand  there  while  they  are  being  milked,  a  tumblerful  at  a  time ; 
the  patients  gather  round  and  drink  off  the  tumblers  of  milk,  fresh  and 
warm." 

"  Ugh !  "  shuddered  Tommy,  remembering  the  reindeer's  milk  in 
Norway. 


THE  BODEXSEE. 


381 


HIGH    ri'   ON    Mil.    GABRIS. 


ww  What  did    yon   know 

almilj    1li;il  ?  " 

"  !\I  \  clear,  I  used  to 
get  up  often  to  see  it  ! 
We  vvenl  to  bed  very 
early  ;  and  Miss  Carter 


332 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


sketched  beautifully,  so  we  used  to  go  out  after  our  coffee,  and  she 
sketched  while  I  studied  something.  We  soon  knew  all  the  people  in 
the  village.     I  believe  there  were  about  six  inhabitants  only." 

"  Careful,  Augusta !  "  said  Mrs.  Horner.  "  Baedeker  says  two 
thousand    six    hundred    and   eighty. 

"  Very  well,  the  same  thing,"  she  went  on.  "  The  young  people 
of  the  village  took  long  walks  high  up  on  the  Gabris  and  other 
mountains,  and  came  back  with  huge  bunches  of  Alpen-rosen  tied 
on   their  Alpen-stocks." 

Miss    Lejeune    paused    and  seemed   inclined  to    fall    into  a  reverie. 
"  Well  !  "  said    the    children. 

"  Well,  there  came  there  a  Fraiilein  from  St.  Gallen,  to  stay  hi  the 
house  with  us,  and  she  was  very  kind  and  friendly.  At  first  we  could 
not  understand  her  German  very  well,  nor  could  she  ours,  but  we 
did  after  a  time.  She  used  to  make  good  things  for  us  to  eat, 
while    we  were  out,  and    she    loved    to    hear    us  tell   about  America, 

which  she  considered  a  won- 
derful land,  for  the  farthest 
place  she  had  ever  been  in  was 
Zurich  ! 

"  Augusta  !  "  said  Mrs.  Hor- 
ner, "  we  might  just  as  well 
stop  over  at  St.  Gallen,  while 
you  go  to  Gais,  and  see  the 
place  !  " 

ki  Yes  !  "  exclaimed  Tommy, 
"and  take  me !" 

"  Oh,  no  !    oh,  no  !  "  replied 

Miss  Lejeune,  "  I  really  do  not 

wish  to  ;  it  is  all  changed  ;  and 

it    is    too    much  trouble  to  go 

there  again.    I  should  not  have 

allowed  you  to  change  the  course  much  for  St.  Gallen,  but  since  we  are 

so  near,  I  should  like  to  see  if  Fraiilein  Fischer  still  remembers  me.    I  have 

the  same  old  address  she  gave  me,  though  we  dropped  writing  long  ago." 


FRATTLETX   FISCHEK. 


THE  BODEXSEE. 


333 


"  Perhaps  she  won't  be  there,'"  said  Tommy. 

"Oh!  very  likely,  —  most  likely!"  Miss  Lejeune  hastened  to  reply. 

"  What  became  of  Miss  Carter  ? '"  inquired  Bessie. 

"  My  dear,  she  married  an  Englishman  whom  we  met  on  that 
very  same  trip.  Her  friend  got  well  and  went  home,  and  Emily 
lives    in   India    now,  and   has  five    children." 

"Aunt  Dut,"  said  Bessie,  who  was  next  her,  "why  did  not  you 
marrv  that    Englishman  ?  " 


ST.    GAT.LEX. 


"  He  did  not  ask  me,  my  dear  ;  besides,  he  was  fifty,  and  not 
very  attractive,  in  my  opinion."' 

"Not  like  your  English  colonel !  "  said  Philip. 

"No,  indeed!"  replied  Miss  Lejeune  with  great  grandeur.  Whether 
in  jest  or  earnest,  that  lady  always  referred  to  this  gentleman,  whom 
she  once  met  in  her  travels,  with  an  air  of  profound  romance,  and 
the  children  delighted  in  teasing  her  about  it. 


334 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


They  readied  St.  Gallen  ;  and  while  Miss  Lejeune  with  Mary  hunted 
up  the  address  of  FratUein  Fischer,  the  others  visited  the  Benedic- 
tine Abbey,  founded  in  the  seventh  century  by  a  Scotch  monk 
named  Gall,  who  did  much  to  establish  Christianity  in  Switzerland. 
He  devoted    his   life    to  the  improvement    of  the    wild  people    of  the 


country,  and  died  about  640  A.  D.,  still  engaged  in  teaching,  at  the 
age  of   ninety-six. 

The  monastery  is  suppressed  since  1805,  but  the  library  contains 
some    curious    old  manuscripts. 

The  Swiss  embroidery,  which  is  so  cheap  and  pretty,  comes  chiefly 
from  St.  Gallen,  and  from  Appenzell  in  the  same  canton.  They 
saw  the  Appenzellerinne  in  their  quaint  headgear,  —  pretty  girls  to 
whom  it  was  very  becoming,  —  and  one  old  woman,  to  whom  it  once 
had  been  so.  When  they  met  Miss  Lejeune  on  returning,  she  was 
quite  cast  down ;  the  report  was  that  her  Fraiilein  had  been  mar- 
ried  two    years   and   gone    to    America ! 


THE  BODENSEE. 


335 


From  St.  Gallen  they  went  by  rail  again  to  Zurich,  where  they  did 
not  linger  long.  It  is  a  large  flourishing  town,  which  was  one 
of  the  first  to  accept  the  reformation,  preached  there  by  Zwingli, 
the  contemporary  of  Luther.  Each  Swiss  canton  has  always  had 
its  strong  prejudices,  either  Catholic  or  Protestant,  and  many  con- 
tests  between    them  have   been    the   consequences. 

The   silks   of   Zurich   are    famous   for    their    softness  and   strength. 


r*ry.y.  -•,"—-.. 


OLD   WOMAN    FROM    APPENZELL. 


386 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


WILLIAM  TELL. 


HAPPY  were  the  experiences  which  now  followed  for  the  Homers. 
They  had  beautiful  midsummer  weather,  long  sunny  days  which 
succeeded,  but  did  not  resemble,  one  another.  For  the  courier  of  the 
party,  Mr.  Horner,  it  was  a  difficult  task  to  pick  out  the  plums 
of  Switzerland  from  that  rich  pudding;  but  he  was  well  aided  by 
the  experience  of  Miss  Lejeune,  and  the  excellent  judgment  of  his 
wife.  As  for  the  children,  they  took  what  was  given  to  them,  and 
beyond  always  wishing  to  stay  longer  in  every  place  at  which  they 
stopped,  did  not  cry  for  mountain-tops,  or  for  difficult  passes,  which 
would  have  been  be}Tond  the  capacity  of  a  family  party  like  theirs. 

They  avoided  these,  and  chose  rather  passing  from  place  to  place 
on  the  lakes,  in  the  little  steamers  which,  with  suitable  connection 
by  omnibuses,  run    conveniently    in    almost   every     direction.      It    is 

pleasant,  though  less 
adventurous,  than 
climbing  the  Matter- 
horn,  or  sliding  down 
a  glacier.  The  beau- 
tiful contours  of  the 
mountains,  sometimes 
snow-clad,  are  seen  at 
their  best  from  the 
lakes  below  them. 

Often   they    found 

agreeable   people   on 

the   boats,     and    the 

an  agreeable  person.  ease  with   which  the 


WILLIAM   TELL. 


337 


Homers   could  now   manage  both    French  and   German,    helped    them 
m    forming    acquaintances  very   enjoyable. 

From  Zurich  to  Zug  they  came  by  train,  and  there,  to  their  great 
delight,  said  good-by  to  steam  engines  and  rails  for  a  long 
time.  Zug  is  the  capital  of  the  smallest  canton  in  Switzerland.  The 
Homers  were,  on  their  arrival  at  the  station,  beset  by  guides  and 
runners,  of  whom  they  rid  themselves  with  some  little  inconvenience, 
and  hastened  to  their  little  steamer,  after  a  brief  glance  at  the  town. 
The  Lake  of  Zug  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  Switzerland ;  the 
wooded  banks  rise  gently  on  all  sides,  except  at  the  south,  where 
the    Rioi   is  to    be     seen    from    its    base    to    the    summit.      The    boat 


UKK   OF  7.VC. 


stopped  here  and  there  at  the  banks,  sometimes  at  a  saw-mill,  in  a 
friendly  sort  of  way,  then  crossing  the  lake,  brought  them  to  lovely 
Immensee,  where  they  fain  would  have  passed  their  lives.  But  the 
usual     omnibus    was    awaiting    them,    and    their   gay    party,  increased 


338 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


by  a  good-natured  pedestrian  youth  from  Dublin,  whom  they  liked 
ver}r  much,  tumbled  up  the  steps,  and  squeezed  themselves  into  seats, 
sideways,  like    a  Broadway  coach. 

It  was  a  merry,  jostling  ride  of  twenty  minutes  to  Kiisnacht,  on  an 
arm  of  the  lake  of  Lucerne.  Signs  of  the  traditions  of  William  Tell 
began   to  present   themselves,  both   ancient  and   modern. 

"  So  you  are  really  not  going  to  ascend  the  Rigi,  Miss  Horner?" 
asked  the  young  Irishman  of  Alary. 

"Is  it  not  very  shocking?"  she  replied.  a  We  have  decided  not 
to.  It  seems  tame  to  go  up  a  mountain  by  rail,  do  you  not  think 
so?" 

Mr.  O'Looney  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  said,  "  Ah,  but  I  have 
made    the   ascent    six    times  on    foot." 


VIEW    FKOM    THE    RIGI. 

"That  is  all  very  well,'"  replied  Mary,  "and  some  of  us  would 
like  that  ;  but  mamma  does  nut  care  to  go  up  at  all.  I  hope  the 
rest  of   our  party  will  do    a   little  climbing  while  we  are  in  Switzer- 


WILLIAM    TELL. 


339 


land,  but,  for  my  part,  I  should  prefer  to  have  a  private  mountain 
all  to  myself.     The  Rigi  is  too  common/' 

The  young  man  looked  puzzled.  The  conversation  of  Americans 
often  seems  extravagant  to  foreigners.  Their  expressions  are  more 
highly  colored  than   is  the   custom   in    Europe. 

From  Kusnacht  they  sailed  to  the  head  of  the  lake  of  Lucerne, 
where  is  the  town  so  named.  The  Homers  were  surprised  to  find  it 
a  city,  with  crowded  streets,  shops,  and  large  hotels,  mure  like  American 


FISOM    THE    SCHWEIZERHOF  :    I.i   CI   RNI 


ones  than  those  they  had  seen  lately  :  they  established  themselves 
at  one  of  these,  the  Schweizerhof,  and  .Mary  and  Bessie  half  re- 
gretted they  had  no  pretty  summer  costumes  like  the  crowds  of  ladies 
staying  there,  who  moved  about  the  corridors  and  galleries  in  long 
flowing  light  dresses,  with  gay  parasols  and  fans.  They  comforted 
themselves  by  thinking  thai  if  they  attracted  some  attention  by  their 
plain  attire,  it  was  not  the  direction  in  which  their  country-women 
generally  err. 


340 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


The  view  from  their  hotel,  of  the  mountains  across  the  lake,  was 
superb.  Pilatus  was  the  one  which  they  now  had  before  them,  and 
he  was  the  first  mountain  to  whom  they  accorded  a  personal  affection. 
There  are  many  legends  connected  with  the  mountain ;  one  is  that, 
when  Pontius  Pilate  was  banished  from  Galilee,  he  fled  hither  and, 
in  the  bitterness  of  his  remorse,  precipitated  himself  into  a  little  lake 
near  the  summit ;  and  all  the  storms  which  arise  on  the  Lake  of 
Lucerne  are  ascribed  to  him. 

The    name    Pilatus,  however,   is  pileatus,  becapped,  and    the   clouds 


"lion  of  lucerne." 

about   his    head    are    a    sure    sign    of  the    weather,    according   to    the 
peasants. 

If  Pilatus   wears   his   cap,  serene   will   be   the  day, 

If  his  collar  he  puts   on,  you  may    mount  the  rugged   way; 

But  if  his   sword   he   wields,  be   wise,   and   stay   away. 

Mr.    Horner,    with   all   the   children,    made  the  ascent    of   the  Esel, 
one   of  the    peaks  of  Pilatus,  by  the  bridle-path    on    horseback,    but 


WILLIAM  TELL. 


341 


both    Miss    Lejeune     and    Mrs.     Horner    preferred    to     stay    behind, 
chatting    with    friends    on    the  hotel  piazza. 

At  a  short  distance  from  this  hotel,  is  the  "  Lion  of  Lucerne," 
hewn  out  of  the  natural  rock,  after  a  model  by  Thorwaldsen,  in 
memory  of  the  Swiss  soldiers  who  alone  remained  to  protect  the 
Tuileries    from  the  fury  of   Robespierre  and  his  associates  on  the  10th 


WAEGGIS. 

of  August,  1702.  From  that  time  the  Reign  of  Terror  may  be  said 
to  have  begun. 

It  is  a  Lovely  lion,  twenty-eighl  and  one-half  feet  in  length.  A 
spring  flows  from  th<'  summit  of  the  rock,  and  forms  a  dark  pool 
at  its  base,  surrounded  by  fresh  green. 

There  are  plenty  of  boats  to  be  bad  at  Lucerne,  and  in  the  early 
evening,  Philip  and  his  sisters  rowed  themselves  about  the  lake,  near 
the  shore,  to  attractive  points. 

Wherever  they  went  now,  in  their  strolls,  the  fields  were  full  of 
poppies,   bluets   and    daisies,  the   latter    like    our   own,  hut    more    deli- 


342 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


cate,  and  countless    other   flowers,  which    the}r    botanized    as    well    a* 
they  were  able  without  any  Grey's  Manual. 

The  Homers  would  have  considered  their  visit  to  Switzerland  in« 
complete,  if  they  had  passed  the  neighborhood  of  the  scenes  in  William 
Tell's    career   without   paying   them  a    visit.      From    Lucerne,    there- 


fore, when  they  had  stayed  there  as  long  as  they  could,  they  took 
a  boat,  crossing  the  whole  length  of  the  lake  from  north  to  south, 
keeping  a  sharp  look-out  for  the  places  connected  with  their  hero. 
Every  child  knows  the  story  of  William  Tell  and  the  apple,  and 
let  us  hope  that  every  child  will  continue  to  believe  it,  in  spite 
of  the  modern  attempt  to  call  it  a  mere  tradition.  No  doubt  rests 
on  the  fact  of  the  tyranny  of  the  Austrian  duke,  Albert,  who,  in 
1291,    undertook    to    unite    all    Switzerland    into    an    appanage    of   his 


WILLIAM   TELL. 


343 


family.  This  the  Schwyzers  strongly  objected  to,  and  the  cantons 
of  Uri  and  Unterwalden  agreed  with  them.  They  stoutly  resisted  the 
severity  of  Gessler,  who  was  the  agent  put  over  them,  and  his  death, 
caused  by  the  arrow  of  Tell,  was  but  a  signal  for  the  outbreak  which 
followed. 

The   battle    of   Morgarten,  in  1315,  began  the  end    of   the  struggle, 


BRUNNEN. 


for  the  Duke  of  Austria's  army  was  routed  by  the  Swiss,  and  they 
were  afterwards  favored  by  the  Emperor  Louis  IV.  The  Swiss 
League,  called  Eidsrenossen  or  confederates,  now  became  very  strong, 
and  its  members  added  to  their  power  by  seizing  or  buying,  when- 
ever they  had  a  chance,  the  lands  of  neighboring  nobles.  It  was 
not  till  lone  afterwards  that  the  whole  confederation  was  called 
Schwyz,  or  Switzerland,  a  name  thai  at  first  belonged  only  to  one 
canton. 

At   Brunnen,  the   porl   of   the    canton    of   Schwyz,    they    saw  excel- 
lent   specimens  of  the  real  old  Swiss  cottages,  which  the  little  wooden 


344  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

carved  ones  imitate.  Near  this  place  they  came  to  the  south  arm 
of  the  lake,  called  the  Lake  of  Uri,  and  soon  passed  the  place 
where  the  three  confederates  swore  to  eject  their  oppressors,  —  then 
to  their  great  excitement,  the  rock  where  Tell  sprang  out  of  the 
boat.  The  spot  was  consecrated  in  1388,  thirty-one  years  after  the 
death  of  Tell,  in  the  presence  of  over  one  hundred  persons  who 
had  really  known  him,  and  a  chapel  marks  the  place.  Soon  the 
pretty  Fluelen  can  be  seen,  amid  lovely  scenery  ;  and  here,  at  the 
extreme  southern  end  of  the  lake,  they  left  the  boat.  The  Reuss 
river  leaves  the  lake  at  Lucerne,  but  enters  it  at  Fluelen,  after  its 
course  down  the  steep  slope  from  its  source  near  the  Rhone  gla- 
cier. 

The  Homers  went  on  to  Altorf,  simply  for  the  sake  of  William 
Tell,  for  the  town  otherwise  possesses  little  that  is  interesting.  A 
great  plaster  statue,  presented  to  the  town  in  1861,  by  the  riflemen 
of  Zurich,  stands  on  the  spot  said  to  be  the  very  one  where  Tell 
aimed    at   the    apple  on    the    head    of  his  son.    * 

During  the  excursion  on  the  lake  a  mighty  scheme  had  sprung 
up,  beginning  no  one  quite  knew  how.  Philip  was  longing  to  see  a 
glacier,  and  Miss  Lejeune  was  a  little  restless  under  the  unemo- 
tional style  in  which  they  were  travelling.  She  longed  to  deviate 
a  little  from  the  beaten  path.  There  is  a  very  tempting  little  trip 
from  the  end  of  Lake  Lucerne  up  to  Andermatt,  on  the  pass  of  St. 
Gothard.  The  road  leads  over  to  Brieg,  on  the  Simplon  pass,  the 
great  route  from  the  Italian  lakes  to  the  Lake  of  Geneva.  Now, 
the  goal  of  the  Homers  at  present  was  Vevay,  at  the  eastern  end 
of  Lake  Geneva.  Miss  Lejeune  boldly  asked  to  take  Philip  with  her  up 
to  Andermatt,  and  down  to  Brieg,  viewing  on  the  way  the  Rhone 
glacier,  to  rejoin  the  others  at  Vevay. 

But,  meanwhile,  what  were  the  rest  to  do  ?  Their  course  lay  over 
the  Briinig  pass,  through  Brienz  to  Interlaken,  and  so  on  to  Berne. 
No!  Philip  would  lose  too  much,  and,  besides,  they  could  not  spare 
Miss  Lejeune  all  that  time,  and  at  Interlaken  they  meant  to  spend 
some    days. 

Philip,  however,  having  once  grasped  the  idea  of  a  glacier,  was  un- 


WILLIAM   TELL.  345 

willing  to  let  it  go.  At  last  some  one  invented  the  idea  of  waiting 
for   them    at    Inteiiaken.     Admirable! 

"We  can  travel  as  slowly  as  we  like,  and  you  can  come  back  to 
us  at  Interlaken."  Philip,  whose  head  had  been  buried  in  his  Baed- 
eker, sprang  up,  exclaiming, 

"  We  need  not  go  on  to  Brieg.  We  can  come  down  from  Grim- 
sel  to  Meyringen,  and  join  you  at  the  end  of  the  Briinig  pass  !  " 

"But    won't    that    be    dangerous?"'   asked    Mrs.    Horner    anxiously. 

Miss  Lejeune  took  the   Baedeker  and  studied  deeply  ;    then   said, 

"  Not  at  all  dangerous,  and  very  delightful.  Why,  Phil,  you  have 
invented    an  excellent  plan." 

So  the  grand  army  of  Homers  were  to  go  back  across  the  lake, 
to  a  place  near  Lucerne,  where  the  Briinig  pass  begins ;  while  Philip 
and  Miss  Lejeune.  the  former  several  inches  higher  from  his  added 
importance  as  sole  escort,  undertook  the  ascent  of  the  valley  of  the 
Reuss    to  Anderniatt. 


346 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


THE    GLACIER. 


MISS  Lejeime  and  Philip  accompanied  their  family  on  the  short 
distance  back  to  Fluelen,  and  then  booked  themselves  for 
the  diligence,  which  was  to  start  almost  immediately.  As  they  were 
rather  late  on  the  list,  the  numbers  given  them  were  16  and  17, 
and   they  looked    with     some     little    anxiety   to    see    what   their   fate 

would     be.  The    pas- 

,,  sengers       assembled      in 

the  courtyard,  were  al- 
lotted seats  in  the  great 
lumbering  coach  accord- 
ing to  their  numbers ; 
1,  2,  3  in  the  coupe,  a 
funny  'seat  under  the 
driver's  box,  whence,  un- 
der his  legs,  and  over 
the  legs  of  the  horses, 
the  view  is  excellent. 
These  seats  are  consid- 
ered the  best ;  they  are 
generally  bespoken  be- 
forehand, and  cost  a  lit- 
tle more  than  the  others. 
Then  the  interieur  was 
filled  up,  with  the  num- 
bers from  4  to  10.  The 
corner  seats  are  pretty 
good,  but  the  middle   seat  is  far  from  pleasant  with  little   or  no  view. 


THE   DILIGENCE. 


THE  GLACIER.  347 

Five  persons,  besides  Miss  Augusta  and  Jack,  were  left  standing 
by  the  clumsy  vehicle.  Two  young  men,  numbers  11  and  12, 
scrambled  up  on  top  by  the  driver.  The  guard  looked  gloomily  at 
the  four  remaining,  as  if  he  would  like  to  sandwich  them  in  anions: 
the  rest :  then  let  fall  the  signal  for  the  departure  of  the  first 
coach :  and  with  cracking  of  whips  and  shouting,  the  huge  machine 
lumbered   off. 

Soon  a  pleasant  little  open  carriage  came  out,  with  a  hood,  in 
case  of  bad  weather,  now  thrown  back,  and  plenty  of  room  behind 
for  baggage.  It  held  four  inside,  and  Philip  instinctively  sprang  up 
with  the  driver,  while  Miss  Lejeune  and  the  three  other  passengers 
took  the  inside  places.  Her  companions  were  a  German  professor 
known  by  his  blue  spectacles,  and  his  rather  elderly  wife,  to  whom 
Miss  Lejeune  willingly  yielded  the  back  seat.  This  brought  her  close 
behind  Phil,  which  was  well,  as  they  could  exchange  views  in  a  low 
tone.  On  the  seat  beside  her  was  a  gloomy  man,  his  throat  muffled 
up  in  a  scarf,  who  spoke  but  little,  and  in  no  known  language. 
Why  so  introspective  a  being  should  select  this  route,  which  is  usu- 
ally chosen  for  pleasure,  was  a  mystery.  Professor  von  Lessli  and 
his  charming  wife  proved  very  agreeable.  They  added  not  only  to  the 
pleasure  of  the  excursion,  but  greatly  to  the  information  of  the 
others. 

The  St.  Gotthard  route,  strictly  speaking,  begins  at  some  distance 
from  Altorf,  where  the  first  bridge  crosses  the  Reuss:  the  foaming 
river  rushes  through  the  ravine  below,  making  a  succession  of  water- 
falls. In  some  of  the  gorges,  snow  was  still  to  be  seen,  although  it 
was    after    the    hist    of   August. 

The  road  keeps  very  near  the  bed  of  the  lumss.  which  it  crosses 
eight  times  by  bridges,  between  Amstag  and  Andermatt.  The  ascent 
is  sometimes  very  steep,  lor  there  is  a  difference  of  two  thousand 
feel,  or  more,  in  the  level  of  the  two  places.  The  carriage  went 
slowly,  and  Philip  often  jumped  down  and  walked  along  by  the 
side,  gathering  flowers.  As  they  readied  a  high  level,  they  began 
to  find  the  Alpine  gentian,  of  a  deep  delicious  blue  color.  After 
four    or    five     hours    of    great     enjoyment,     their    eyes    and    thoughts 


348 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


WATERFALL   ON    THE    KEUSS. 


wholly  occupied  by  the 
wonderful  sights  around 
them,    they  passed    on 
through  a    long,   dark 
tunnel,  and  then  came 
out     upon     a     smiling 
valley,  a  striking    con- 
trast  to    the    wild   and 
rocky  region  they  had 
ough.     Profes- 
1    Lessli     said 
doubtless  once 
ake,  before  the 
und  its  present 
f  escape  down 
The  Devil's 
Bridge,    at 
this    place, 
was     the 
scen<j   ot  a 
battle     be- 
tween    the 
French  Re- 
publicans 
and  Austri- 
ans  at   the 
end  of  the 
last    centu- 
ry.  At  An- 
d  ermatt 
there  was  a 
change     of 
carriages. 

To    Miss 
Leje  une's 


THE  GLACIER. 


349 


joy,  it  proved  that  the  professor  and  his  wife  were  on  their  way 
to  the  Rhone  glacier  like  themselves.  The  gloomy  man  was  going 
on  over  the  St.  Gothard  pass,  which  our  friends  left  at  Hospen- 
thal  ;  other  passengers,  who  wished  to  do  the  same  thing,  were 
put  with  him  in  the  little  carriage  which  they  left,  and  they  were 
all  crowded  ino  thte  inside  of  the  diligence.  The  distance  was  but 
short,  and  although  there  was  grumbling  among  the  passengers,  it 
did  not  come  from  the  new  arrivals,  who  possessed  themselves  in 
patience. 

They  spent  the  night,  not  uncomfortably,  at  Hospenthal,  and  the 
next  day  went  on  by 
diligence  to  the 
Rhone  glacier,  where 
they  arrived  in  time 
for  dinner.  The  pure, 
rare  air  of  so  great  a 
height  was  most  ex- 
hilarating ;  they  slept 
like  tops,  woke  early 
with  ravenous  appe- 
tites, and  felt  equal 
to  any  exertion.  The 
excitement  of  being 
so    near  a  glacier  was  people  they  met,  i. 

almost  too  much  for  Philip;  and  the  idea  of  breakfast  seemed  too 
terrestrial  for  him.  The  good  professor  urged  him,  however,  to  eat 
well,  for  they  had    a    good    deal    of    walking    before   them. 

They  all  set  forth  for  the  Ice  (initio;  Fran  von  Lessli  being  as 
stout  and  energetic  as  any  of  the  party,  in  spite  of  her  gray  hairs 
and  pretty  little  hands  and  feet.  She  spoke  no  English,  but  her 
husband   expressed    himself   in  it  vigorously. 

From  the  hotel,  a  path  leads  to  the  grotto,  hewn  in  the  glacier, 
to  a  depth  of  several  hundred  feet,  and  just  beyond  it  is  an  icy 
vault,  with  a  stream  of  gray  snowy  water  issuing  from  it.  This  is 
the  Rhone;    the  infant  stream  which  gradually  becomes  a  great  river, 


«50 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


and  at    last   empties    into    the    Mediterranean,  after  a   course    of   five 
hundred    miles. 

The  little  party  of  four  stayed  long  enough  at  the  Rhone  glacier 
to  see  all  that  was  interesting  in  its  nature.  Professor  von  Lessli 
took  great  pains  to  make  Philip  understand  how  the  great  mass  of 
snow,  collecting  in  layers  high  above  the  snow-line,  by  the  pressure 
of  its  own  weight,  and   by  the  slow  melting  of  the  edges  where   they 


STORM   IN    THE    VALLEY. 


are  exposed  to  the  sun,  gradually  moves  down  towards  the  valley, 
advancing,  in  the  course  of  a  year,  more  than  a  hundred  feet. 
The  rock  and  rubbish  falling  upon  the  glacier  from  the  mountain 
are  carried  along  with  it,  or  form  long  barriers  along  its  sides  called 
moraines.  These  stones,  thus  brought  within  our  reach,  are  speci' 
mens  of  rocks  higher  up  in  inaccessible  places.  When  the  slow 
glacier  stream  comes  to  a  precipice,  it  falls  over,  and  is  broken  to 
pieces,  and  the  fragments  form  ice-needles  and  pyramids  like  the 
Galenstock,  which  they  saw  before  them  pointing  up  over  eleven  thou- 


THE  GLACIER. 


351 


sand   feet.     The    glacier    of   the   Rhone  itself  is  eighteen  miles  long, 


b> 


like  a  gigantic  Niagara  suddenly  petrified.  Miss  Lejeune  was  never 
tired  of   watching   the  marvellous  play  of    color   and  form  it  reveals. 

After  two  wonderful  da}s  passed  in  study  and  admiration  of  the 
glacier,  Philip  and  Miss  Lejeune  bade  farewell  to  their  pleasant  com- 
panions, sincerely   hoping  they  might    some  time  meet  again. 

"  You  must  come  to  America,  professor,"  said  Miss  Lejeune ;  "  our 
world  is  the  older,  you  know,  and  we  will  show  you  all  our  bric-a 
brae  of  antiquit}'." 

"  I  am  coming,  my  dear  Miss,  I  am  coming.  It  shall  only  be  to 
wait  for    those  balloons   you  shall   invent   to    cross    the    Atlantic." 


L 


1'KOI'I.l.  THEY   MET,    L' 


And  so  they  parted,  Miss  Augusta  and  Philip  mounted  on  sure- 
footed horses  to  make  tin;  slow  descent  towards  Meyringen.  The 
path    at    first    is    desolate    and     bare,  and     traces    of   snow    were   still 


352 


A  FAxMILY  FLIGHT. 


visible.  They  passed  the  little  "Todtensee,"  which  both  French  and 
Austrians,  in  their  battles  of  1799,  used  as  a  burial-place  for  the  dead. 
A  more  gloomy  spot  cannot  be  imagined.  Afterwards  a  steep  bridle 
path  of  flat  stones  led  down  the  Grimsel  pass,  to  the  Grimsel 
Hospice,  and  here  they  joined  the  Aare,  then  only  a  mere  brook  flow- 
ing  from    two  mighty    glaciers.     No  vegetation  but  a  little  edelweiss 


appeared;  but  lower  down  they  found  profusion  of  Alpen-rosen,  the 
beautiful  rhododendron  of  the  Alps,  and  then  came  into  pine  for- 
ests, and  by  and  by  to  the  beautiful  foamy  fall  of  the  Handeck. 
Aftei  that,  they  constantly  crossed  the  Aare,  exclaiming  with  delight 
at   the    waterfalls  in  its  course. 

It  took  them  a  whole  day  to  descend  to  Meyringen,  coming  upon 
the  carriage-road  at  some  little  distance  from  it,  for  they  lingered, 
to  rest  and  for  lunch  on  the  way,  until  it  was  late  in  the  afternoon, 
and    as   the    horses   slowly  walked   along  the   good   road   towards  the 


THE  GLACIER.  353 

village,  they  wondered  what  had  been  the  adventures  of  the  others 
in  their  absence.  Three  nights  and  days  had  passed  since  they 
parted,  and  the  agreement  only  was  that  each  party  should  wait  for 
the  other  at  the   little   inn   at  Meyringen. 

Suddenly  they  heard  the  rattle  of  wheels  behind  them,  and  turn- 
ing out  of  the  road  to  let  some  vehicle  pass,  in  a  cloud  of  dust, 
and  amid  cries  of  "  whoa  !  "  kw  arretez  !  "  "  stop  !  "  a  carriage  drew 
up  beside  them,  containing  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Horner,  Mary  and  Bessie, 
and    Tommy  on    the    box    by    the    driver. 

Screams  of  surprise  from  the  children  mingled  with  the  exclama- 
tions of  the  elders.  The  Swiss  driver  smiled  from  ear  to  ear.  He 
perceived  that  something  wonderful  and  agreeable  had  happened,  and, 
with  natural  vanity,  ascribed  it  to  his  own  prowess,  and  that  of 
his   horses. 

"You  here  now!"  exclaimed  Miss  Lejeune.  "How  came  you  to 
be    so    late  ? ' 

"  We  were  delayed,"  said  Mrs.  Horner  briefly,  and  glanced  at 
Tommy,   who   sat,  somewhat    meeker    than    usual,  on    the    box. 

"Tommy  got  lost!"  said   Bessie. 

"We  will  tell  you  about  it  by  and  by,"  said  Mr.  Horner;  "per- 
haps   we    had    better    drive    on   now."' 

"Let  us  have  one  gallop  with  these  slow  beasts!"  cried  Philip. 
Anxious  to  show  off  his  horsemanship,  lie  spurred  the  animal  to  its 
utmost,  and  he  and  Miss  Augusta  disappeared  in  a  cloud  of  dust. 
The  carriage  soon  followed,  and  they  all  drew  up  together  before 
the    "Krone"    at  Meyringen. 

Tommy's  adventure  had  been  this:  At  Brunnen,  on  their  return 
up  the  lake,  they  were  told  there!  would  be  a  delay  of  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes.  Mary  went  on  shore  to  make  a  sketch,  thinking 
as  she  did  always  at  such  moments,  of  Anna  Mills  and  her  prompt- 
ness about  sketching  in  Norway.  They  all  scattered,  for  by  this 
time,  this  stepping  011  ami  off  of  steamboats  had  become  perfectly 
natural,    and    every   one    had    learned    to    take    care    of    himself. 

After    the   boat  was   well    under   way,   Mrs.    Horner    remarked, 

"How    small    our    party    seems    without   Augusta  and    Phil  J" 


354  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

"Well,  but  it  is  small,  — "  said  Mr.  Horner;  and, —  "Where's 
Tommy ! "    burst   at   once    from    every   mouth. 

Anxious  search  was  made.  The  whole  boat  was  thrown  in  com- 
motion, and  at  last  a  porter  asseverated  that  he  had  seen  the  youth 
going  on  board  the  Winkelried  bound  back  to  Fliielen. 

The  mistake  was  natural  enough.  The  Winkelried  was  the  steamer 
which  had  taken  them  down  the  day  before.  It  is  easy  to  get  turned 
round   on  a   Swiss  lake. 

Mrs.  Horner,  for  the  first  time,  was  in  real  despair.  The  captain 
proved  very  gentlemanly  and  friendly,  assured  her  that  everyone 
on  the  boat  would  take  care  of  Tommy,  and  that  he  would  turn  up 
the  next  day.  The  best  thing  was  for  them  to  take  a  return  boat 
for  Brunnen ;  and  thus  they  saw  more  of  this  pretty  place  than 
they  otherwise  would  have  done.  Tommy  showed  great  good  sense, 
and  stayed  on  the  Winkelried  when  it  came  back.  His  family  were 
on  the  wharf  at  Brunnen,  and  they  all  went  on  happily  to  Alpnach, 
where  they  took  a  little  carriage  by  themselves,  and  came  by  slow 
stages    over    the    Briinig    pass    to    Mej^ringen. 

Tommy  was  not  much  scolded,  for  his  mistake  was  a  natural 
one,  and  he  had  conducted  himself  like  a  hero,  explaining  his  blun- 
der at  once  to  the  captain,  who  believed  him  and  willingly  took 
him  in  charge.  The  boat  passed  the  night  at  Fliielen,  and  Tommy 
slept  in  the  captain's  cabin,  and  had  sour-krout  and  fluelleri  for 
breakfast,  which  are  the  delicious  trout  abounding  in  the  streams 
of   this    locality. 

So  after  all,  Tommy  was  a  hero,  and  to  this  day  refers  with  pride 
to    the    time  "  when  I    was   at    Fliielen," 


INTERLAKEJ*. 


355 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


INTERLAKEN. 


MISS  Lejeime  was  rather  tired  after  her  clay  upon  horseback ; 
but  Philip  rose  the  next  morning  full  of  good  spirits,  and 
proposed  to  the  girls  to  walk  to  Brienz,  a  distance  of  only  nine  miles. 
The  elders    thought  it    too    far  for  Mary,  but  said    Bessie   might    go; 


INTERLAKEN. 

and  the  pair  started  off  early.  The  others  followed  later,  in  the 
same  carriage  which  had  brought  them  thus  far,  Tommy,  as  before,  on 
the  box. 


•356  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

•'I  am  so  glad,"  said  Mrs.  Horner,  as  they  drove  along,  "that 
Philip  had  this  little  trip  off  with  you,  Augusta.  He  behaved  so  well 
about  Norway,  that  he  deserved  to  do  something  a  little  more  wonderful 
than  the  rest  of  us." 

"  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  how  gallant  and  thoughtful  he  was," 
said  Miss  Augusta;  "he  seemed  to  me  suddenly  to  become  three 
years  older." 

At  Brienz  they  took  a  steamer  for  Interlaken,  but  found  they  could 
stop  over  several  hours,  to  look  at  the  beautiful  Falls  of  the  Giessbach. 

An  easy  sail  brought  them  through  lovely  sunset  lights  to  Interlaken. 
On  account  of  their  delay  at  the  falls,  it  was  late  before  the}r  reached 
the  town.  They  drove  directly  to  the  small  pension  Beau-Site,  in  conse- 
quence of  advice  from  Professor  Lessli,  and  instantly  devoted  them- 
selves to  a  hearty  meal. 

Afterward  they  went  to  the  salon  which  had  been  allotted  to  them, 
and  while  the  others  looked  about  them  at  the  furniture  and  ornaments 
Maiw  stepped  to  the  window.  Her  cry  of  delight  drew  them  all 
thither,  and  they  beheld  the  lovely  Jungfrau,  cold  and  glittering  with 
snow,  directly  before  them  in  a  gap  between  nearer  mountains,  which 
seemed  to  have  shrunk  back  on  purpose  to  reveal  her  superior  charms. 
At  that  moment  a  little  sparkling  point  appeared  over  her  shoulder. 
It  was  the  moon,  nearly  full,  which  slowly  went  on  creeping  up  the 
side,  and  then  flooded  the  whole. 

It  was  nearly  a  month  since  the}r  left  Heidelberg,  where  they  had 
their  last  full  moon.  The  time  seemed  longer  in  many  ways,  thejr  had 
seen  so  much,  and  yet  how  the  days  were  flying !  and  how  soon  their 
year's  flight  across  Europe  would  be  at  an  end  ! 

The  next  day,  after  coffee,  Mary  and  Bessie  went  out  to  survey 
the  town  of  Interlaken.  It  has  a  long,  wide  street,  laid  out  with  trees 
on  each  side,  and  .lined  with  little  shops  to  decoj^  travellers  with 
every  kind  of  Swiss  wood-carving,  fine  lace,  and  chamois-horn  articles. 
All  tourists  begin  by  resisting,  and  end  by  yielding  to  these  things. 
It  was  the  height  of  the  season,  and  even  at  the  early  hour  of  nine, 
the  street  was  full  of  pretty  toilets,  and  omnibuses  driving  up  to  the 
pensions  and  hotels,  which  are  many. 


AT    TIIK    TOP    OF    THK   FALL 


357 


INTERLAKEX. 


359 


As  the  girls  were  walking  along,  they  met  Mr.  O'Looney,  the  pleasant 
little  youth  from  Dublin.  He  raised  his  hat  and  stopped,  and  seemed 
very  glad  to  meet  them  again,  then  joined  them,  and  showed  them 
the  shops  he  had  been  exploring. 

Returning  with  them  to  their  pension,  to  pay  his  respects  to  the 
ladies,  he  stayed  chatting  with  them  on  their  piazza  all  the  morning. 
He  was  resting  at  Interlaken  after  a  fatiguing  trip  on  foot.  Instead 
of  coming  from  Lucerne  as  the  Homers  had  done,  he  had  been  on 
foot  to  Grindelwald,  ascending  the  Faulhorn,  from    which   there   is    a 


WELLHOKN. 


magnificent  view  of  the  Bernese  Alps,  and  descending  by  the  way 
of  Lauterbrunnen  to  Interlaken.  lie  talked  pleasantly  and  simply 
about    what    he    had    seen,    and    Mary    said: 

"  It  saves  us  the  trouble  of  doing  these  tilings,  to  have  you  describe 
them   to  QS." 

"I  wish.'"  he  replied,  "that  I  could  describe  the  delicious  pure 
fresh  air,  and  the  lovely  light  in  the  sky." 


360 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


BOATING  ON  THE  LAKE  OF  BRIENZ. 


"  But  do  you  always  have  pleasant  weather,  Mr.  CVLooney  ?"  asked 
Miss  Lejeune. 

"  Not  always  ;  there  was  a  terrific  storm  once,  last  year,  when  I 
was  up  there  in  the  Rhine  valley,  not  far  from  the  Glacier.  Luckily 
I  was  under  shelter,  and  it  was  a  magnificent  sight.  But  it  made 
trouble  afterward ;  the  Briinig  pass  was  very  much  washed,  and  when 
I  went  over  it,  men  were  digging  on  the  road,  and  we  all  had  to 
walk  round  the  place  through  deep  mad." 

Mr.  O'Looney's  hotel  was  near  the  "  Beau-Site,"  and  he  spent  most 
of  his  time  with  the  Homers,  joining  them  in  their  walks,  and  planning 


INTERLAKEN. 


361 


from  Baedeker,  excursions  about  Interlaken.  It  is  a  very  good  place 
as  head-quarters  for  walks,  either  shorter  or  longer,  for  rowing  on  the 
Lake  of  Brienz,  and  for  climbs,  not  too  fatiguing,  to  points  where 
are   views  of  the  ever    beautiful   Jungfrau. 

The  Homers  became  quite  fond  of  Mr.  O'Looney,  though  both 
the  boys  stoutly  maintained  that  he  was  not  half  so  nice  as  Mr. 
Hervey. 

Several    days   passed    rapidly    at   Interlaken,    one   of   them  a    quiet 


WETTERHORN. 


Sunday,  when  they  enjoyed  the  English  service  in  the  old  convent 
church.  On  leaving,  they  crossed  the  little  isthmus  which  divides  two 
lakes  by  a  little  railway,  on  an  observation  car  ;  a  winding  stair  leads 
to  the  roof,  where  passengers  may  sit  and  enjoy  the  view. 

The  ride  was  but  ten  minutes  long,  and  then  they  found  themselves 
on  the  Lake  of  Thun.  As  they  went  from  the  train  to  the  boat, 
no    one    said  anything  to   Tommy    in   the    way  of   caution,  but  every 


362 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


BEKXE    MINSTER. 


body  remembered  to  look  and  see  if  he  were  present.  He  held  tight 
his  father's  hand,  and  turned  neither  to  the  right  nor  left,  until 
they   were    established    in    their  favorite    places    in    the   stern. 

Mr.  O'Looney  had  asked  the  permission  of  Mrs.  Horner  to  go  with 
them    as  far  as  Thun.     It    was  readily  granted. 

The  Lake  of  Thun  has  its  own  attractions.  Our  travellers  were 
constantly  surprised  at  the  individuality  of  each  lake ;  among  so 
many,  every  one  has  its  own  character,  and  no  one  repeats  the  others. 
The  panorama  of  mountains  about  this  one  is  veiy  beautiful;  towards 
Interlaken  the  Jungfrau  is  visible,  as  also  are  the  Schreck-horn  and 
Wetterhorn.     The   shore  is   studded   with   pretty   villas,   and   a   pictur- 


IXTEELAKEN.  363 

esque  castle  of  the  von  Erlach  family,  to  whom  belonged  Rudolph 
von  Erlach,  who  fought  so  bravely  at  the  battle  of  Laupen,  when 
the  canton  of  Berne  joined  the  Eidgenossen  after  the  victory  of  Mor- 
garten.  A  bronze  statue  of  Rudolf  adorns  the  square  in  front  of  the 
cathedral  at  Berne. 

From  Thun,  the  Homers  came  by  train  to  Berne,  a  large  and  very 
amusing  town,  which  Tommy  liked  the  best  of  all  the  cities  he  had 
seen.  The  legend  of  its  name  is  that  the  town  was  to  be  called 
after  the  first  wild  beast  they  caught  in  the  oak  woods  where  it  was 
founded.  The  first  beast  was  a  bear,  and  the  town  was  called  Berne, 
and  the  duke  gave  the  citizens  for  their  shield  a  black  bear  on  a 
white  field.  Bears,  bears  everywhere  ;  bears  in  granite  over  the  pil- 
lars of  gateways ;  bears  on  the  Kindlifresser-Brunnen,  which  repre- 
sents an  ogre  devouring  one  child,  while  others  stick  out  of  his 
crammed  pockets;  and  bears  on  the  celebrated  clock,  which  Tommy 
made  a  point  of  visiting  a  little  before  noon.  He  waited  patiently  for 
some  time.  At  last,  just  at  three  minutes  before  twelve,  a  cock  gave 
the  signal  by  the  flapping  of  his  wings;  then  a  whole  troop  of  bears 
walked  round  a  seated  figure  ;  as  the  hour  struck,  this  old  man  with 
a  beard  turned  an  hour-glass,  and  counted  the  hour  by  raising  his 
sceptre  and  opening  his  mouth.  A  queer  figure  struck  the  hour 
on  a  bell  with  a  hammer,  and  the  cock  crowed  again.  The  perform- 
ance was  all  over  in  a  few  minutes,  and  left  Tommy  in  a  whirl  of 
amazement,  lie  meant  to  see  it  again,  but  never  could  get  there 
just   at  the    right  time. 

He  saw  the  bears'  den,  and  stood  a  long  time  watching  the  tumbles 
of  the  awkward  beasts.  The  bear  is  like  a  god  to  the  Bernese,  who 
treat  him  almost  with  the  veneration  of  the  Egyptians  towards  their 
sacred  animals.  Those  in  the  den  are  under  the  especial  protection 
of  the  law.  which  forbids  people  to  offer  them  anything  to  eat  which 
mi'dit  be  bad  for    their    health. 

The  houses  in  the  old  part  of  the  town  are  built  with  arcades, 
all  the  sidewalks  were  under  rounded  arches,  the  second  story  project- 
ing over  them.  This  is  very  picturesque,  and  makes  the  streets  always 
cool  and   shady. 


364 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


Berne,  with  the  other  Swiss  towns,  vainly  resisted  the  aggressions 
of  Napoleon.  After  it  capitulated  to  his  army,  the  French  carried 
off  even  the  bears  to  the  Jardin  des  Plantes.  Tommy  was  amazed  to 
learn  that  Martin,  whose  acquaintance  he  made  in  Paris,  was  a  remote 
cousin  to  his  four-footed  friend  here. 

The  cathedral  is  a  fine  Gothic  building,  with  a  beautiful  carved 
balustrade   around  the    top.     After   seeing   the    sights   of    Berne,  the 


Homers  passed  a  day  and  night  at  the  Pension  Schanzli,  just  outside 
the  town,  for  the  sake  of  a  magnificent  view  from  the  terrace. 
Below  lies  the  city  of  Berne,  and  beyond,  the  whole  panorama  of  the 
Bernese  Oberland :  the  beautiful  Jungfrau  forms  the  centre  of  the 
group  of  outlines.  They  looked  wistfully  at  her  with  a  feeling  that  it 
was    their  last  view  of  this  most  graceful  of   the  Alpine  peaks. 

A  dusty,  hot  ride   in    the    cars  awaited   them    the    next    day.     The 
train   was  crowded.      There    were    no    seats   except    upon    the    sunny 


INTERLAKEX.  365 

side.  A  screaming  child  with  a  dirty  German  nurse  sat  in  the  seat 
with  Philip,  and  poked  its  little  fists  into  his  face.  Tommy  was  in 
Mr.  Horner's  lap,  Bessie  almost  in  Mary's.  This  lasted  from  two 
o'clock  till  six,  with  frequent  stoppings  to  take  in  more  and  more  ex- 
cursionists. Under  these  conditions  they  took  not  much  interest  in 
the  glimpse  of  Freiburg  visible  from  the  train :  and  were  glad  to 
leave  the  cars  at  Chexbres,  a  little  station  above  the  Lake  of  Ge- 
neva, where  they  scrambled  into  an  omnibus,  and  rattled  down  a 
steep  road  towards  Vevay. 

The  lake  of  Geneva  spread  out  a  wide  expanse  below  them,  more 
like  a  sea  than  any  since  Lake  Constance.  They  began  to  notice 
at  once  a  wonderful  azure-blue  quality  in  the  color  of  the  water. 
Before  them  rose  the  notched  and  jagged  peaks  of  the  Dent  du 
Midi,  growing  more  rosy,  with  violet  shadows,  as  the  evening  ad- 
vanced. It  was  soothing  and  refreshing  after  the  hot,  tedious  day.  A 
happy  calm  came  on  their  spirits,  and  they  were  silent,  with  fatigue 
and  admiration  combined,  as  they  drove  up  to  the  entrance  of  the 
handsome  hotel    Monnet,  or  "  Trois    Couronnes,"  as  it    is  also  called. 

Mr.  O'Loone}7-  had  left  them  at  Berne,  to  plunge  once  more  into 
tke  Alpine  regions  of  Switzerland. 


see 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


VEVAY. 


VEVAY  is  built  along  the  shore  of  the  Lake  of  Geneva,  near  its 
eastern  end,  not  far  from  the  entrance  of  the  Rhone.  The  Hotel 
Monnet  is  prettily  placed,  with  a  garden  between  it  and  the  water, 
in  which  a  band  plays  in  the  evening.  Galleries  and  corridors  afford 
a  pleasant  view  of  the  lake  and  the  opposite  mountains,  and  the  house 
is  large  and  elegant,  without  the  effect  of  a  caravansary  given  by 
many  of   the  first-class    hotels  in    Switzerland. 

At  Vevay,  the  Homers  met   their  trunks,  and  it  must  be  confessed. 

that  it  was  with  a  deep  feeling  of  sat- 
isfaction, that  the  feminine  portion 
of  the  party  cast  aside  their  travel- 
ling costumes,  and  assumed  light  and 
pretty  summer  dresses,  though  not 
attempting  the  extreme  toilettes  of 
some  of  the  other  guests  of  the  hotel. 
This  was  for  the  table  d'hote  dinner 
on  the  second  da}\  Their  party  was 
marshalled  in  one  of  the  small  par- 
lors, and  they  all  entered  the  large 
and  somewhat  gorgeous  dining-room 
together.  Miss  Lejeune  wore  some- 
thing thin  and  black,  with  black  lace 
at  her  throat.  She  looked  remarkably 
well.  The  boys  were  neatly  brushed, 
and  cleanly  collared,  with  irreproach- 

ON  THE   GALLERY.  ,,11  i  .,  T 

able  hands  and  nails.     It  was,  alto- 
gether, a  creditable  party  which  advanced    towards    the  chairs  turned 


YEYAY. 


367 


up  for  them  at  the  lower  end  of  one  of  the  tables,  a  number  of  which, 
occupied  by  gay  parties,  filled  the  long  hall.  The  guests  were  already- 
assembling  into  their  places.  At  the  head  of  the  very  most  important 
table,  who    should  be    seen    but    their    old    friend   and  fellow-voyager, 


v^S^\V-<  •■■■■■  -  ^Mr^asL^mrm 


w^EiffiSp 


\    i 


ftA'XIb  ii  ,„   ^ 


MM 


AT    ANOTIIEi:    TABLE. 


Mrs.  Chevenix  !  She  was  very  gorgeous,  in  a  cap  with  poppies,  a  red 
crape  shawl  falling  back  from  her  shoulders  :  her  lingers  sparkled  with 
rings. 

She    put    up   her  glass   as    the    Homers    were    quietly  taking    their 
seats. 


368  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

"  I  am  so  near-sighted,"  she  remarked  audibly.  "  Jules,  tell  me,  who 
are    those    people  ?  " 

"Horner,   madame  ;  famille  Horner,  out  of  America!" 

"Ali,  indeed!  my  good  friends  the  Homers!" 

All  this  had  made  a  little  bustle  ;  and  Mr.  Homer,  finding  they  were 
recognized,  hastened  to  go  and  speak  to  Mrs.  Chevenix,  although  at 
first  he  had  avoided  doing  this,  lest  it  should  attract  public  attention 
to  his  party.     Mary  went  with  him.     The  greeting  was  very  cordial. 

"Come  to  me,  all  of  you,  after  dinner,"  said  Mrs.  Chevenix. 
"  This  is  delightful.  I  always  take  my  coffee  on  the  premier  balcon. 
We  will  meet  there,  and  discuss  everything." 

This  meeting  took  place,  and  afterwards,  by  the  all-powerful  influence 
of  Mrs.  Chevenix,  the  seats  of  the  Homers  were  placed  next  her 
at  dinner.  She  introduced  them  to  every  one  right  and  left,  and 
thus  they  became  acquainted  with  a  very  pleasant  circle  of  people. 
There  was  often  dancing  in  the  evening;  and  always  strolling  about 
the  grounds  during  the  music  of  the  band.  The  Homers  rejoiced 
Vhat  they  had  with  them  "  their  good  clothes,"  and  this  they  owed 
o  the  experience  and  wise  advice  of  Miss  Lejeune. 

As  they  were  sitting  on  a  bench  one  day,  near  the  stone  parapet 
which  is  built  around  this  part  of  the  lake,  watching  the  groups 
strolling  about,  Bessie  said, 

"  This  is  the  place  where   Mr.   James  met  Daisy  Miller." 

"  My  dear,"  said  her  mother,  "  how  you  mix  up  things.  Mr.  James 
is  a  real  person,  and  Dais}r  Miller  was  only  a  character  he  invented." 

"  But  she  might  have  been  real,  mamma  ;  he  describes  her  just  as 
he  did  the  place.  Perhaps  if  he  were  here  now,  he  would  de- 
scribe us  !  " 

"  I  am  glad  he  is  not  here,  now,  then  !  "  exclaimed  her  mother,  "  for 
I  have  no  desire  to  see  myself  in  a  book." 

"  He  is  very  pleasant  to  meet,"  remarked  Miss  Lejeune. 

Many  excursions  are  to  be  made  from  Vevay,  and,  as  upon  the  other 
lakes,  little  steamers  are  continually  running  from  somewhere  ever}r- 
where,  as  the  Homers  soon  discovered.  But  for  the  moment  the}r 
were  content  to  remain  quietly  at  the  hotel,  and  enjoy  the  life  there, 


VEVAT.  369 

and  to  watch  the  beautiful  Dent  du  Midi,  across  the  fascinating  lake. 
It  is  just  near  enough  to  be  able  to  see  the  depths  and  hollows  of 
its  sides,  clothed  in  glowing  green,  and  influenced  by  every  play  of 
light  and  shadow,  as  the  clouds  pass  over  it,  or  hang  upon  its 
summit.  It  is  impossible  to  weary  of  studying  it.  Mary  ran  to  her 
window  every  morning  to   see  what  was  happening    on    the   mountain, 


LAKE   LEMAJJ. 


and  what  mood  was  affecting  its  aspect.     The    lake,  too,  was    equally 
changeable.     She  wrote  one  day  to  her  friend  : 

"  I  do  wish  you  could  see  the  lake  at  this  moment.  Such  a  color 
and  such  a  tumult !  It  is  the  most  fiendish  lake  !  Living  by  it,  and 
watching  it,  you  receive  the  idea  that  it  is  ruled  b}^  demons ;  and  a 
sort  of  mania  seizes  you  to  watch  and  see  what  it  will  do  next.  For 
a  day  or  two  now,  we  have  been  having  rather  commonplace  weather, 
—  white  days,  like  our  August  ones,  —  without  remarkable  clouds  or 
sunsets ;  anybody  might  know  that  the  demons  of  the  lake  could 
not  stand  that  long:  they  had  their  purpose,  and  were  probably 
getting  together  their  artillery.  Last  night  they  began.  These  demons, 
you  know,  do  not  live  down  in  the  lake,  but  up  above,  in  the  air, 
and  round  in  the  hollows  of  the  mountains.  It  was  black  as  pitch, 
and  then  it  began  to  blow, — such  a  wind,  —  blowing  past  the  hotel  a# 
set  everything  flying,  inside  and  out.  Then  was  the  time  to  look 
to  the  windows,  and  make  all  fast.  The  lake  seethed  and  frothed, 
and  hissed,  and   even   in   the  darkness  great  lurid  swaths   of   foam,  as 


370  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

if  phosphorescent,  followed  each  other,  without  any  order  of  sue- 
cession,  light  in  the  blackness,  but  when  the  sheets  of  lightning 
came,  all  black  and  sullen,  and  heaving  with  rage. 

"  This  morning  it  was  clear,  but  still  rather  sultry,  and  just  now, 
since  I  began  writing,  it  is  at  it  again,  with  wind  and  rain.  There 
are  wonderful  colors  on  the  water, —  bright  green,  blue  and  purple, 
and  white-capped  waves." 

Such  storms  as  these  come  up  very  suddenly  on  the  lake,  and 
make  it  dangerous  to  venture  out  in  row-boats,  when  there  is  the 
least  symptom  of  change. 

There  is  a  far-famed  school  for  boys,  "  Sillig's,"  at  Vevay.  The 
parents  of  some  of  these  boys  were  at  the  Monnet,  and  thus  Philip 
and  Tommy  soon  made  their  acquaintance,  and  learned  from  them  their 
pursuits.  They  swim  and  dive  in  the  lake,  row,  take  long  walks 
among  the  hills,  and  enjoy  themselves;  besides  learning  to  talk  French 
fluently.  The  course  of  instruction  is  considered  very  good.  Philip 
rather  pitied  English  boys,  and  some  Americans,  far  away  from  their 
homes,  alone  here ;  but  they  seemed  happy,  and  even  rather  proud 
of  their  lot. 

The  castle  of  Chillon  is  not  far  from  Vevay.  A  pretty  excursion 
either  by  steamboat,  by  rail,  or  on  foot.  The  gloomy  dungeon  did 
not  strike  the  terror  it  should  into  the  hearts  of  our  practical  young 
people.  Their  emotions  were  weakened  by  learning  that  Byron  did 
not  know  the  real  history  of  Bonnivard  when  he  wrote  the  poem 
about  him. 

But  Bonnivard  was  a  real  hero,  who  resisted  the  tyranny  of  the 
Duke  of  Savoy  in  1504.  It  was  the  old  quarrel  between  Catholic  and 
Protestant.  The  latter  called  themselves  Eidgenossen,  which  became 
corrupted  into  Huguenots,  and  thus  arose  that  title,  under  which 
have  suffered  since  so  many  martyrs.  Bonnivard  protested  so  boldly 
that  he  was  kept  for  many  years  in  the  Castle  of  Chillon  ;  but  he  was 
liberated  at  last. 

The  country  about  Vevay  is  devoted  to  grapes,  and  vineyards  stretch 
up  the  hills,  separated  by  high  walls,  with  narrow  paths  between  them. 
The  walls    themselves    are    pretty,    with    little    ferns   growing   in   the 


VEVAY. 


■371 


cracks,  and  small  lizards  darting  about ;  but  as  they  are  so  high  above 
the  head  as  to  shut  out  all  view,  and  as  they  are  roughly  paved 
with  cobble-stones,  it  is  tedious  walking  in  them,  and  after  a  time, 
the  foot-passenger  feels  himself  hardly  repaid  for  a  long  tramp  by  the 
views  from  the  fields  above,  although  these  views  are  lovely,  looking 
down  upon  the  lake. 

Outside  Vevay,  the  shore  of  the  lake  is  lined  with  pensions,  where 


MONTEEUX. 


people  cnme  in  the  grape-season  for  pleasure,  or  for  the  grape-cure. 
In  the  hitter  case,  they  eat  as  many  grapes  as  possible  all  daylong; 
and  the  effect  has  been  proved  very  good  for  consumptive  patients, 
in  many  eases,  of  this  treatment,  aided  by  the  soft  and  pure  air. 
Tommy  thought  if  would  lie  delightful  to  have  to  take  this  cure,  but 
lie  was  assured  he  would  get  as  tired  of  grapes  as  of  oatmeal,  if 
he  had  to  cat  them  all  the  time  The  grapes  were  beginning  to 
ripen,  but  were    not  yet    plentiful.     The  vines   are    trimmed    so    close 


372  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

about  little  stakes,  that  they  have  not  the  beauty  of  the  rambling 
wild  grape-vines,  that  hang  over  arbors  elsewhere. 

All  summer  long,  men  and  women  are  working  in  the  vineyards  to 
keep  the  shoots  from  growing,  which  would  diminish  the  size  of  the 
bunches ;   and  to   destroy  all  the  small  enemies   that  infest  the  vine. 

Philip  grew  so  tired  of  the  long  lanes  and  stiff  vines,  that  he 
disliked  the  whole  subject  of  grapes.  Afterwards  in  Paris,  when 
the  season  was  in  its  very  prime,  he  forgot,  while  tasting  a  beautiful 
bunch,   how  stupid   he    had    thought    the    process   of    raising    it. 

At  Bouveret,  nut  far  from  Vevay,  the  Rhone  comes  into  the  Lake 
of  Geneva,  or  Lake  Leman,  as  it  is  called  by  the  French.  The 
river  has  changed  the  country  around  into  a  marsh.  It  rushes  into 
the  lake  with  such  force  that  its  current  can  be  traced  for  over  a 
mile  in  the  lake,  and  the  color,  too,  is  different  from  the  wonderful 
pellucid  green  of  the   rest    of   the    lake. 

All  the  young  people  had  frecpuent  baths  at  Vevay.  There  is  a 
good  bathing  establishment  in  the  town.  The  first  time  the  girls 
went,  the  bathwoman  showed  them  a  place  fenced  off  from  the  rest 
of  the   lake    with    ropes    across    it,  for  ladies. 

"Mais  je  sais  nager  !  "  complained  Mary. 

"  Alors !  mademoiselle,  tout  le  lac  est  a  vous ! "  and  the  two  girls 
ran  to  the  end  of  a  long  pier,  and  plunged  head  first  into  the 
deep  green  water. 

German  was  now  laid  aside,  for  every  one  talks  French  in  Vevay. 
At  first,  German  words  kept  coming  into  the  Homers'  heads,  but 
very  soon  the  easy  French  asserted  itself  again,  and,  as  it  happened, 
they  had  little  further  occasion   to  exercise  their   German. 

The  tenth  of  September  came,  and  found  them  still  at  Vevay. 

"  Must   we   go    home,    mamma  ? "    said  Tommy. 

"I  am  afraid  so,  Tommy,"  said  his  mamma.  "Do  not  you  begin 
to  think  you  have  had  enough  travelling?"  continued  Mrs.  Horner, 
somewhat  wearily. 

"  Never  !  "  exclaimed    Tommy. 

This   the    rest  echoed. 

Perhaps    they   had,    however,    had   enough    for   one   time.     It  is    a 


/ 


VEVAT. 


373 


ii  Kt  n   FLOWERS. 


good  plan  to  go  home  and  talk  about 
it,  to  settle  down 
and  recall  all  the 
experiences  of  the 
journey,  and  col- 
lect and  assort  the 
ideas  received. 

Another  time, 
they  would  know 
much  better  what 
the}'  most  wished 
to  see,  and  could 
make  an  excursion 
to  some  one  part 
of  the  world,  exclu- 
sively for  that  coun- 
try and  no  other. 
This  family  flight 
was  to  be  consider- 
ed only  a  trial  trip, 
and  all  the  Hor- 
ners,  great  and 
small,  formed  cas- 
tles in  the  air,  be- 
ginning "  When  we 
come  the  next 
time  !  " 

They  left  Vevay 
on  the  13th  of  Sep- 
tember, and  sailed 
across  to  Geneva, — 
their  last  excursion 
upon  a  Swiss  steam- 
boat. 


•374 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII. 


GENEVA. 


QUIETLY  floating  along  on  beautiful  Lake  Le'man,  the    Homers 
enjoyed   its   deep   blue   color,  and    the   pretty   little    boats    with 
lateen-sails,  and    regretted    that    they    were    to    leave    it    so    soon. 
"  Papa,"  said  Philip,   "  the  Swiss  are  a  brave  people,   but  they  have 


GENEVA. 


always  been  quarrelling  and  fighting  together.     I  think  they  are  praised 
too  much.*' 


GENEVA.  375 

"You  must  remember,"  replied  Mr.  Horner,  "that  they  have  kept 
up  a  republic  since  the  peace  of  Westphalia  in  1648 ;  and  in  some 
fashion  for  a  much  longer  time.  That  is  why  we  Americans  should 
respect  them." 

"  Yes,  their  wars  for  independence  were  grand  :  Morgarten  and 
Laupen,  and  all  that ;  but  it  was  mean  of  them  to  fight  for  Louis 
XI.  against  Charles  the  Bald.  It  was  not  their  quarrel,  and  they 
did   it   for   money." 

"True;  and  the  Swiss  have  the  reputation  of  loving  money  ;  ever 
since  the  time  when  Louis  XL  discovered  they  could  be  bought, 
they  have   been    willing    to  be    mercenary  troops." 

"  But,"  said  Mary,  "  they  are  very  brave,  whatever  they  fight 
for.     Think   of  the   Swiss  guards   at   the    Tuileries ! " 

"  Yes,"  replied  her  father ;  "  and  decided  and  strong-willed. 
Living  among  these  mountains,  I  fancy,  has  imparted  a  rugged  element 
to  their  character  which  generations  of  people  brought  up  in  smooth 
valleys  would   lack." 

"  Louis  XL  is  the  king  in  Quentin  Durward,"  remarked  Bessie, 
"who    wore   little    images    round   his   hat." 

"  Was    he    the  great  grandfather  of   Louis  XIV.  ? "    asked  Tommy. 

"Why?"    demanded  Bessie  scornfully. 

"  Because  it  goes  twelve,  thirteen,  fourteen,"  replied  Tommy  meekly, 
aware  that    he  had  blundered. 

Mr.  Horner  explained.  "  There  were  two  centuries  between  them, 
and  half  a  dozen  or  more  kings  with  other  names.  Louis  XL  be- 
longed to  the  house  of  Valois ;  but,  do  you  not  know,  Tommy?  — 
Henry  of  Navarre,  who  became  Henry  IV.,  was  not  then  the  direct 
heir  to  the  throne.  His  ancestor  was  St.  Louis,  and  with  him  the 
great  house   of   Bourbon   began  to   reign."' 

"Enough!  enough  of  dates  and  kings,"  exclaimed  Miss  Lejeune; 
"for  see,    there    is    Mt.    Blanc,  a    monarch  who  never   abdicates!''' 

They  were  passing  Morges  on  the  north  shore  of  the  lake,  and 
through  an  opening  of  the  mountains  could*  see  Mt.  Blanc,  snow- 
capped,  lofty  and    grand. 


376 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


"I    am    afraid   his   majesty    will    resent   our    neglecting    him,"   said 
Mrs.  Horner.     "I   wish    we    could    see  more   of  him." 

''Another  time,  mamma !  "  said  Mary.     "You  know  we  are  coming 

again    next  year." 

The  young  Homers 
were  careful  to  lose 
no  chance  of  impress- 
ing this  idea  upon 
their  mother,  afraid 
that,  once  at  home, 
she  would  settle  down, 
and  he  slow  to  start 
again. 

The}'  lunched  on  the 
boat,  in  a  saloon  with 
square  windows  all 
around,  so  that  the 
views  were  not  lost. 
At  table  they  recog- 
nized the  pretty  wid- 
ow who  was  on  the 
tSt.  Laurent,  but  in- 
stead of  her  devoted 
cavalier  of  the  voyage, 
was  a  stout,  red-faced 
gentleman,  who  tied 
his  napkin  round  his 
throat,  and  "ate  vol- 
ubly," as  Bessie  ex- 
pressed it,  of  every- 
thing within,  or  near  his  reach.  The  ladies  had  not  been  introduced 
to  this  lad}',  but  after  lunch  Mr.  Horner,  who  had  some  slight  ac- 
quaintance with  her,  rose  and  joined  her  for  awhile. 

"Allow  me  to  present  you  to  my  husband,"  she  said.     The  Homers 
heard  this,  and  Mary  whispered,  "  Mamma,  that's  her  husband !    then 


THE    PRETTY   TVUlOW. 


GENEVA. 


377 


she  was  not  a  widow  at  all  on  the  voyage,  was  she  ?  How  funny  !  ' 
"  Hush,  my  dear,  she  will  hear  you  ;  we  only  guessed  she  was  a  widow." 
It    is    an     odd    thing    about    travelling,    that   fellow-passengers    are 

always  turning  up.       One  seems  never    to  be   rid  of  them ;    and    the 

little     theories     formed    of     their     histories   are     often    unravelled    or 

upset   by  further  observation. 

Geneva     is    the    town     of    Calvin,    the    favored    home    of    Gibbon, 

Voltaire,  Rousseau,  and  Madame  de  Stael.     These  great  names  associate 


ST  ATI' K   OF    BOU 


themselves  with  it;  but  in  (heir  brief  visit  to  Geneva  of  a  day, 
the  Homers  saw  but  little  to  suggest  them,  for  they  had  not  time 
for  Ferney,  to  see  the  house  of  Voltaire,  or  to  stop  at  Coppet  to 
look  at  the  portrait  of  Madame  de  Stael.  In  fact,  they  were  tired 
of  sight-seeing  of  this  description;     fairly  satiated    with   lions. 

They    walked     about    the     streets    of     the    large    town,    looking    at 
handsome    shops,  and  admiring  the  beautiful  jewelry,  fans,  and  pretty 


378 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


trifles,  for  which  they  are  renowned.  Every  kind  of  mechanical  toy 
which  requires  clock-work  was  to  be  found,  music  boxes  of  all  de- 
scriptions, footstools  that  played  a  march,  photograph  albums  that 
performed  "  Ever  of  Thee  "  while  }tou  looked  at  the  likenesses,  snuff- 
boxes,  match   boxes  —  all  were  musical.     The    little  travelling    clocks 

with  a  cathe- 
dral chime,  and 
all  manner  o  f 
watches,  en- 
chanted them. 

Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Horner  bought 
several  things 
to  add  to  the 
collection  of  lit- 
tle travel-pres- 
ents they  were 
taking    home. 

They  all  as- 
sembled at  the 
hotel  for  dinner 
and  a  quiet 
evening. 

When  the 
bundles  were 
brought  home 
from  the  shops, 
the  children 
seemed  to  be  in 
a  state  of  great 
excitement,  and 
after  a  little 
whispering,  they 

came  together  to  Miss  Lejuene,  and  Mary  put  a  box  in   her    hand. 
"  That  is  what  we    want,  all  of  us,  to  give    you,"   she   said,   "  as  a 


GENEVA. 


379 


souvenir   of   our  flight,  and  because  you    took  such   good   care  of  us 
in   Norway." 

Miss  Lejeune  was  perfectly-  amazed.  She  found  the  case  contained 
a  lovely  little  enameled  watch,  with  a  pretty  chain,  exactly  what 
she  wanted,  for,  strange  to  say,  she  had  hitherto  possessed  only  a 
large   old-fashioned    time-keeper. 

"  My  dears, "  she  said,  after  it  had  been  examined  and  praised, 
and  wound  up  and  listened  to,  "  I  accept  it  joyfully,  but  not  as  a 
reward,  because  I  have  done  nothing  but  enjoy  myself  for  a  whole 
year  S  " 


DISTANT   VIEW  OF    GENEVA. 

Now  came  another  long'  pull  from  Geneva  to  Paris,  thirteen  hours 
and  a  half  by  train.  But  Miss  Lejeune  resigned  herself  heroically 
to  <>ne  more  night  of  misery,  and  said  she  should  comfort,  herself 
when  she  was  awake  in  the  dark,  by  taking  out  her  new  watch  and 
feelin*1-  of  it,  although  she  should  not  be  able  to  see  it.  They  left 
Geneva   about  two  in  the  afternoon,  in    an  immensely  long  train.     The 


380  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

station  was  crowded  with  passengers,  and  they  had  to  wait  a  long  time 
before  they  could  get  their  tickets,  or  have  their  trunks  weighed  and 
labelled  with  the  mysterious  papers  pasted  on  them  by  the  skillful 
porters. 

They  were  hardly  settled  in  their  places  when  the  train  entered 
a  tunnel  two  miles  and  a  half  long,  which  kept  them  silent,  and 
Bessie  with  her  head  in  her  mother's  lap ;  she  hated  tunnels,  and 
this    was  the    very  worst  they    had   passed    through. 

A  sort  of  weary  content  settled  over  the  famille  Horner,  as  they 
had  so  often  been  called.  They  leaned  back  in  their  respective 
corners.  Who  shall  say  what  thoughts  filled  each  mind  ?  Perhaps  the 
mamma  was  looking  forward  to  home  and  housekeeping,  and  repose 
in  her  quiet  corner.  The  papa  may  have  allowed  himself  to  revert 
to  business  affairs,  and  to  consider  what  changes  he  could  make  at 
the    office   to    allow  him    to    come    down   town   later  in    the  morning. 

Mary  and  Bessie  thought  of  their  friends  and  cousins  at  home,  and 
of  the  glory  they  should  gain  in  recounting  their  adventures  abroad. 
Philip,  —  lie  never  looked  forward,  —  was  still  meditating  on  the  Swiss 
republic,  and  Tommy  was  wondering  where  they  should  stop  to  eat 
next. 

Miss  Lejeune  was  devoting  her  attention,  just  then,  wholly  to  her 
toilette  for  the  next  winter,  and  deciding  what  to  order,  and  what 
not  to  buy,  in  Paris.  So  darkness  fell,  and  the  train  went  rumbling 
on,  through  many  places  of  great  interest  and  scenes  of  pictur- 
esque attraction  ;  but  these  were  all  invisible  in  the  night-time,  and 
little  heeded  by  the  sleepy  heads  of  the  Homers.  In  the  middle  of 
the  night,  they  stopped  at  Dijon,  where  there  was  a  buffet,  and  Miss 
Lejeune,  who  was  wide-awake,  and  Mr.  Horner  who  was  half  asleep, 
tumbled  out  for  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a  sandwich.  This  was  con- 
sidered to  be  the  only  meal  on  their  travels  of  which  Tommy  took 
no  cognizance.  He  was  sound  asleep  with  his  head  in  his  mother's 
lap,  and  when  he  awoke  in  the  dawn,  rather  later  than  the  rest, 
he  could  not  imagine  where  the  bunch  of  grapes  came  from  which 
his  father  had  put   within  easy  reach  of  his  hand. 


GENEVA. 


381 


PLACE   VEXDOME   AGAIN. 


They  arrived  in  Paris  in  the  morning  about  seven  o'clock ;  had 
the  usual  delay  in  the  waiting-room,  but  found  and  identified  their 
luggage  without  difficulty,  and  rattled  in  their  omnibus  back  to  the 
familiar  and  well-beloved  Hotel  du  Rhin,  which  seemed  already  like 
a  kind  of  home.     The  porter  with  the  ruffled  hair  stood  at  the  door 

as  if  he  had  been „ 

there  ever  since 
they  left.  The  gra- 
cious landlady  came 
oat  and  greeted 
them,  and  even  said 
to  Mary, 

"  Comme  v  o  us 
etes  devenue  belle, 
made  7710  is  ell  e" 
which  seemed  to 
Mary  a  fine  instance  of  French  politeness  towards  a  young  woman, 
dishevelled  after  a  night  of  travel,  with  her  hat  jammed  over  her 
eyes,  her  ruffles  awry,  and  shabby  gloves. 

They  had  written  to  announce  their  coming,  and  by  great  good 
luck,  found  that  their  own  old  salon  had  been  kept  for  them.  The 
sleeping  chambers  were  different,  and  Phil  and  Tommy  no  longer 
had  their  delightful  room  with  a  view  of  the  Place  Vendume,  but 
a  small  crack  looking  out  into  a  well  going  down  through  the  house, 
with  a  view  of  nothing  but  gutters  and  pipes,  a  small  square  of  sky 
fringed  with  chimneys  above,  and  a  rubbish  hole  far  below. 

However,  nobody  objected  to  anything  proposed  now.  The  ladies- 
were  scarcely  seen  from  morning  till  night.  They  set  off  either  singly 
or  in  pairs  with  long  lists  of  shopping.  The  salon  remained  vacant 
all  day,  and  each  one  lunched  where  he  could.  The  boys  and  their 
father,  besides  the  few  purchases  they  had  to  make,  had  time  to  review 
their  old  favorite  haunts,  and  to  study  up  some  neglected  points  of  his- 
torical interest.  In  the  evening  they  met  around  a  pleasant  dinner 
table,  inspected  the  bargains  and  extravagances  of  the  day,  and  discussed 
the  wisdom  of  their  selections. 


382 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


There  is  a  difference  of  opinion  on  the  subject  of  shopping  in 
Paris.  Some  ladies  assert  that  everything  is  much  cheaper  and  better 
in  that  city  than  in  New  York  or  Boston ;  and  others  directly  the  re- 
verse. 

However  this  may  be,  when  American  women  are  in  Paris,  they 
seldom  resist  the  temptation  of  spending  money  there,  and  Mrs. 
Horner  thought  it  well  to  buy  whatever  she  and  the  girls  would 
wear  for  the  next  winter  at  least,  in  the  gay  capital  of  fashion. 

One  evening  Tommy  and  Mary  were  having  a  chat,  and  Mary  said, 
"Now,  Tommy,  what  do  you  like  best  of  all  the  things  we  have 
done?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Tommy,  and  he  reflected.  Then  he  added 
in  a  low  voice,  "I  know  what  1  liked  worst:  that  night  alone  at 
Fluelen." 


PARIS  AGAIN. 


38S 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 


PARIS   AGAIN 


MY  dear  children,  how  you  have  grown  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Stuy- 
vesant ;  "  and  how  excessively  pretty  Mary  has  become  !  "  she 
added  in  a  tone  meant  to  be  low,  but  which  was  more  audible  than  was 
wise. 

The  Homers  had  grown,  and  Mary  was  very  prett}\     She  was  taller 


TUILERIE 


tlia.ii  last  year  and  looked  now  in  perfectly  good  health,  her  complexion 
slightly  browned  by  their  out-door  summer,  bul  not  spoiled  by  exposure 
to  the  sun.  This  was  two  or  three  days  alter  I  heir  return  to  Paris, 
and    the    results   of   their    shopping    were    already    visible    in    a    pretty 


384 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


street-costume  winch  Mary  was  wearing.  Both  .she  and  Bessie  had 
outgrown  all  the  clothes  they  had  not  worn  out,  and  new  ones  were 
a  necessity,  and   Mary  in  hers  seemed  to  have  blossomed  into  a  young 


TELESCOPE,   PAKIS   OBSEKVATOKY. 


lady.     Philip  was  almost  as  tall  as  his   father,  and    quite   a    different 
person  from  the  little  Jack  of  a  year  aero. 


PARIS  AGAIN.  385 

"  Is  this  my  friend  Tommy  ?  "  demanded  the  cordial  Mr.  Stuy  vesant. 
"  Sir,  my  respects  !  " 

An  early  day  was  appointed  for  a  dinner  at  the  Stuyvesants'  apart- 
ment.  The  Homers  had  now  so  much  to  tell  that  they  found  it 
less  dull  than  a  previous  occasion  ;  it  was  easier  to  talk  about  Europe 
with  their  hosts  than  upon  American  topics,  of  which  the  Stuyvesants 
knew  little  or  nothing.  They  had  visited  all  the  hotels  in  Switzerland, 
and  had  passed  one  summer  at  the  Monnet. 

The  Tuileries  garden  was  looking  very  pretty  then.  It  was  a  little 
later  in  the  season  than  when  the  Homers  first  saw  it :  the  leaves  were 
still  on  the  trees,  and  the  weather  was  warm  enough  for  groups  of  people 
to  stroll  about  and  sit  upon  the  benches. 

Philip  and  Tommy  saw  the  wonders  of  the  Paris  observatory, 
especially  the  immense  silver  on  glass  reflector  which  is  there.  Mr. 
Stuyvesant  introduced  them  to  a  gentleman  who  made  it  quite  intel- 
ligible to  them. 

The  Hotel  Cluny  was  something  which  had  been  too  long  postponed 
on  their  former  visit  to  do  it  justice  ;  and  all  the  Homers  devoted 
a  day  to  the  sttidy  of  it,  before  leaving  Paris. 

A  Roman  emperor  is  believed  to  have  been  the  founder  of  the 
palace,  of  which  a  portion  still  exists  in  the  Thermes  or  baths.  Julian 
was  proclaimed  emperor  here  by  his  soldiers  in  360. 

At  the  close  of  the  15th  century,  the  Abbot  of  Cluny  in  Burgundy 
built  a  small  mansion  which  is  the  present  Hotel  Cluny,  on  the  site 
of  the  old  Roman  palace,  that  they  might  have  a  suitable  residence 
in  Paris.  The  abbots  put  their  house  at  the  disposition  of  the  king  of 
France,  as  they  were  seldom  in  Paris :  and  it  has  been  used  from 
time  to  time  as»a  royal  resort.  An  English  queen  of  France  came 
here  as  a  widow,  and  her  room  is  still  shown,  called  the  chamber  de  la 
Reine  Blanche.  This  was  Mary,  sister  of  Henry  VIII.  of  England, 
who  was  married,  much  against  her  will,  to  Louis  XII.  She  was 
his  third  wife,  and  lie  was  growing  old,  but  he  wanted  to  make  a 
friendly  alliance  with  England.  He  died  in  1515,  only  a  year  after  this 
marriage,  and  la  Reine  Blanche  was  left  a  widow  in  the  white  chamber 
of  Cluny,  which  was  then  newly  built. 


380 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


In  1833  the  hotel  fell  into  the  hands  of  an  enthusiastic  collector 
of  curiosities,  which  are  now  to  be  seen  by  the  general  public.  There 
are  so  many,  and  they  are  so  miscellaneous,  that  the  Homers  found  it 
difficult  to  pick  out  the  plums,  and  afterwards  to  remember  what 
they  had  seen.  Sixty 
little  wooden  figures,  rep- 
resenting the  kings  of 
Fiance  from  Clovis  down 
to  Louis  XIII.,  amused 
them  more  than  the  jaw- 
bone of  Moliere  did, 
which  is  also  exhibited. 
The  last  evening  ar- 
rived. The  room  was 
full  of  cartons,  —  paper 
boxes,  containing  the  last 
purchases.  A  man  came 
from  the  Bon  Marche* 
with  a  huge  pile  of  bun- 
dles  and    boxes,  and  the 

long  list  with  prices  attached,  which  must  be  looked  over,  verified,  and 
paid.  Their  friend  the  abbe  was  making  his  last  visit,  but  the  ladies, 
rather  absent-minded,  with  their  hearts  in  their  bargains,  left  the 
conversation  chiefly  to  Mr.  Horner.  Perceiving  this,  the  tactful 
Frenchman  rose  to  go  much  earlier  than  his  wont;  and  then  Miss 
Lejeune  and  Mrs.  Horner  much  regretted  their  preoccupation,  for  they 
liked  him  very  much,  and  this  was  their  last  sight  of  him.  But 
as  soon  as  he  was  gone,  they  fell  tooth  and  nail  upon  packing. 
Miss  Augusta  swept  off  an  avalanche  of  packages  to  her  room,  and 
came  back  for  more.  The  young  people  were  sent  to  bed,  and  till 
midnight,  lights  were  burning  in  the  apartment  Horner,  while  trunks 
were  compressed  to  their  utmost.  At  last  all  was  still,  and  peace 
reigned  until   the   early  start    of   the    next  day. 

More   than   the    usual    confusion    of    departure    ruled    in    the   Hom- 
ers'   rooms    in    the  early   morning.     There    was    much    luggage    to    be 


HOTEL   CLUSY. 


PARIS  AGAIN. 


387 


strapped,  two  new  trunks  to  be  counted,  one  of  them  a  packincr. 
box  belonging  to  Miss  Lejeune.  This  box  contained  not  only  pur- 
chases for  herself,  but  many  commissions  for  friends  at  home ;  for 
almost  every  letter  she  had  received  of  late  contained  some  such  pas- 
sage   as   this: 

'*  While  you  are  buying  your  gloves,  get  me  a  dozen  or  so.  My 
number  is  six  and  three-quarters  you  know  ;  and  of  course  you  must 
remember  that  for  mine  the  little  ringer  has  to  be  shorter  than  usual  ;  but 
they  understand   that    at    the   Bon    Marche :  "  or,  — 

"  What  I  want  is  a  really  good  black  silk,  one  that  will  not 
crack,  and  will  wear  well.  You  ought  to  be  able  to  get  it  for 
seven   francs    the   metre." 

And  so   on.      Miss    Lejeune    was    very   stern    in     her    doctrine    that 


' '  h  ■'■£- 


V,  .,6 


• 


no   one    sin  mid  ever    do    any  shopping  in    Paris    for  any  friend,   how- 
ever intimate;    but     her    practice    was    less   perfect    than    her    theory 
and    she    went    out    every    day   with  a    little   bunch    of   letters    pinned 
together    fur    reference    as    to    the    special     injunctions    contained    in 
them. 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


The  coffee  was  brought,  the  omnibus  was  waiting  below.  Mary 
served  the  other  children  in  her  hat,  hand-bag  and  umbrella  by  her 
side.     Bessie    and    the   boys  were    ready   and    impatient  for  the  start. 

"Come,  mamma,  come  papa!"   cried  Mary.     "  Your  coffee  is  hot!  " 

"  That  is  all,  I  believe,"  said  Mrs.  Horner,  as  she  rose  from  her 
knees  before  the  last  trunk.  "Run,  Philip,  and  see  if  you  cannot 
help  Augusta." 

"  She  is  all  right,  mamma ;  her  trunks  are  gone  down.  She  is 
putting    on   her   veil,  I  believe." 

Mr.  Horner  finished  the  last  shawl-strap.  Miss  Lejeune  entered,  her 
gloves  in  her  hand.  They  took  their  coffee  standing,  threw  a  last  glance 
round  the  room  to  be  sure  nothing  was  left,  and  hurried  down  to  the 
omnibus. 

It  was  a  little  late,  and  they  rattled  off  at  a  rapid  pace,  and 
soon  reached  the  Embarcadere  du  Nord  in  the  Place  Roubaix. 
There  was  just  time  to  weigh  the  luggage,  procure  the  tickets,  and 
scramble  into  a  carriage,  before  the  little  whistle  shrieked,  and  the 
train   moved  out  of   the    station. 

"  Well !  "  sighed  Mrs.  Horner,  as  she  drew  a  long  breath,  "  that  is 
the    worst  scramble    we   have    had." 

"  It  will  be  the  last,"  said  Mr.  Horner 
cheerfully,  "  as  the  trunks  go  direct  to  Liver- 
pool. Our  little  things  will  be  no  trouble 
for  the  few    days  we  are  in    London." 

"  I  shall  be  thankful,"  she  continued, 
"  to   be  done  with   living   in  trunks." 

"Oh  mamma!"  exclaimed  Bessie.  "I 
love  our  Norway  valise,  especially  now  it 
is  stuck  all  over  with  Norway  labels.  I 
hope   they  will  stay  on  always." 

A  few  hours  brought  them  to  Boulogne, 
and   they  went    immediately  on    board   the 
inconvenient  little  boat  which  plies  the  chan- 
nel.    All  they  saw  of  Boulogne  was  a  long  pier.     It  ran  out  into  the 
watei  sevei  ..  hundred  yards,  covered  with  groups  of  people  watching 


AT   BOULOGNE. 


PARIS  AGAIN. 


the   departure   of    the   boat,    which    seems   to   be   the    chief    event   of 
Boulogne   life.      The    Homers   imagined    them  all   to   be  the   sort  of 


^^S^Kr":-  -     .-...    .-■:V"-V*7V^ 


FOLKESTONE 


people,  described   in  novels  by  Thackeray  and  others,  as  living  there. 

The    much-dreaded    passage    was    very    mild    for    the     Homers.      A 

little  roughness,  and  the  fear  that  the  sea  might  become  more  hostile, 


300  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

made  them  sit  huddled  together  upon  the  deck  of  the  little  boat ; 
but  the  passage  was  soon  over,  and  they  were  approaching,  before 
they  knew  it,  the  white  cliffs  of  Albion. 

At  Folkestone,  the  tidal  express  train  was  waiting,  and  a  long 
ride  of  several    hours    brought    them,  after  dark,  to    London. 

"  How  queer  to  hear  the  people  speaking  English ! "  exclaimed 
Tommy ;  and  so  it  seemed  to  them  all ;  and  yet  they  had  a  feel- 
ing, possibly  on  account  of  the  familiar  language,  that  they  were 
already  at   home. 

The  train  moved  into  the  huge  Charing  Cross  station.  The  lug- 
gage had   to    be  examined. 

"I  suppose  there  is  nothing  here?"  asked  the  obliging  custom's 
officer,  as  he  unlocked,  for  form's  sake,  a  small  valise  belonging  to 
the   Homers. 

"  Nothing  at  all,"  said  Mr.  Horner.  "  These  are  only  our  clothes, 
in  daily  use." 

As  the  top  was  laid  back,  however,  conspicuously  to  be  seen 
were  two  or  three  volumes  of  the  Tauchnitz  edition,  which  are 
liable  to  duty  in  England.  This  was  a  trifling  difficulty,  and  made 
no  trouble. 

They  drove  to  their  hotel,  and  for  the  first  time  had  an  English 
supper  and  slept  in  English  beds,  and  heard  the  English  servants 
plentifully  dropping  their  If  s, 

"  'Ere's  your  'ot  water,  madam,"  called  the  obliging  maid  at  Miss 
Lejeune's  door.  The  clock  on  the  church  near  by  struck  the  hour 
and  all  the  quarters.  So  it  had  done  in  Germany,  but  it  did  it 
here  with  an  English  sound.  Visions  of  Dickens'  and  of  Thacke- 
ray's characters  floated  before  them  as  they  slept,  and  they  awoke 
with  a  delightful  thrill  at  the  thought  that  they  were  in  London. 
Everything  they  touched  left  a  black  mark  on  their  fingers.  This 
was  the  soot  which  pervades  the  dusky  atmosphere  of  the  great 
city. 

But  one  day  only  was  left  for  London,  if  they  would  reach 
Liverpool  the  night  before  the  starting  of  the  steamer,  as  they  wished. 
It   was    the    eighteenth    of   September,    and   they    were    to    sail    the 


AT  THE    LONDON   TEIMINU8 


PARIS  AGAIN. 


393 


twentieth,    in    order  to  reach  home    on  the  first  of    October,  —  just  a 
year  from    their    start. 

They  all  decided  that  the  thing  they  wished  most  to  see  in  Lon- 
don, was  the  Tower  :  and  thither  they  went  early  in  the  morning, 
and  satisfied   themselves    by  going    all    over  it  and    examining   all  its 


LONDON    IN    THi:    OLDKX    TIMES. 


treasures.  They  went  by  the  underground  railway,  which  amused 
them  much.  They  saw  the  famous  Thames  embankment,  with  Cleo- 
patra's English  needle  on  it;  they  looked  wistfully  at  the  outside  of 
Westminster  Abbey.  Some  of  them  had  a  dash  through  the  streets 
in  a  hansom,  and  saw  the  Albeit  Monument  in  Kensington  Gardens. 
It  was  a  hurried,  wild  sort  of  day,  every  one  running  about  on  his 
own    deviees  ;    Mr.    Horner   very    busy   in    the    city.       Somebody    kept 


394 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 


tight  hold  of  Tommy  .ill  the  time,  and  for  a  wonder,  the  whole  party 
turned  up  safe  for  a  seven  o'clock  dinner.  Here  was  found  Miss 
Lejeune,  sitting  before  a  dull  fire  of  coals,  for  the  weather  had  been 
cold  and  foggy,  with  a  French  novel  in  her  hand.  She  had  not 
stirred  from  the  hotel  all  day. 

"I  thought  I  would  not  begin  on  London  for  so  short  a  time," 
she  said,  yawning,  as  she  put  down  her  book.  "  I  was  rather  tired, 
and   there  is   so  much  to   do  here,    it  seemed  better   to  do  nothing." 

"  Oh  !  aunt  Gus,  we  love  London  ! "  cried  Bessie.  "  Do  not  you 
like  it?" 

"  Oh  yes,  I  like  it  very  much,  and  ever  so  many  people  in  it. 
If  there  had  been  more  time,  I  would  have  let  several  people 
know  I  was  here,  but  we  were  not  quite  sure  beforehand  what  day 
we  should  be  here." 

They  all  laughed  at  her.  Mr.  Horner  said  perhaps  she  was  right. 
They  went    to  bed    early,   and    the  next  day  were  off   for  Liverpool. 


FACING  HOMEWARD.  395 


CHAPTER  XL. 

FACING    HOMEWARD. 

IN  the  station  at  London,  Bessie  met  a  little  girl  sitting  patiently  on  a 
trunk  alone ;  she  was  about  the  size  Bessie  had  been  when  the 
Homers  started  the  year  before  ;  but  now  Bessie  quite  looked  down  on 
her.  They  began  a  little  conversation,  and  she  found  her  to  be  a  little 
American  named  Nelly  Ferguson,  who  was  going  home  to  New  York 
with  her  father.  Afterward,  it  turned  ont  they  were  going  by  the  very 
same  steamer;  but  their  acquaintance  was  established  before  that, 
for  Nelly  and  her  father  travelled  all  the  way  to  Liverpool  in  the  same 
carriage. 

It  was  a  little  crowded,  for  the  compartments  are  intended  for 
eight  only,  and  this  addition  made  nine  in  theirs;  but  it  came  about 
naturally.  The  Homers  were  already  in  their  carriage,  when  Nelly's 
father  passed  by,  looking  for  places,  holding  her  by  the  hand. 

It  was  late,  the  places  were  filling  up,  and  the  guard  was  closing 
the  doors  of  the  carriages. 

"  Papa,  that  is  the  "Same  little  girl;  may  she  come  in  here  ?" 

Mr.  Horner  threw  open  the  door,  and  invited  the  gentleman  to  enter, 
lie  looked  grateful,  but  hesitated.  The  guard  hurried  them  in,  the 
door  was  closed,  the  train  moved  off.  Mr.  Ferguson  apologized  for 
crowding  them.  Me  looked  worried  and  sad,  and  with  instinctive 
sympathy  all  the  Homers  made  room,  and  convinced  him  that  Nelly 
and  Bessie  could  sit  in  the  same,  division  with  Tommy  without  any 
real    inconvenience. 

It  proved  later  that  Nelly's  history  was  sad.  She  came  abroad 
with  her  parents,  on  account  of  the  health  of  her  mother,  who  was 
very   ill;    and    while    they    went    to    the   south   of    France,   Nelly   staid 


S96  A  FAMILY  FLIGHT. 

with  some  aunts  outside  of  London.  The  mother  died,  and  Mr. 
Ferguson  was  now  on  the  way  back  to  America,  having  stopped  in 
London  to  take  up  Nelly,  and  carry  her  back  with  him  to  New  York. 

She  was  a  sweet  little  girl,  and  was  soon  telling  the  children  about 
the  place  on  the  Thames,  where  she  had  been  living  with  her 
aunts,  and  the  pleasure  of  rowing  on  the  broad  river;  of  the  parties 
that  went  out  to  fish  in  broad,  flat-bottomed  boats,  and  of  the 
lovely  cowslips  and  bluebells  to   be  found  in  spring  in    the   meadows. 


{i  s  }k 


*s*y 


FROM   THE   WINDOW. 


None  of  these  things  came  out  on  the  first  day ;  but  the  broad 
crape  on  Mr.  Ferguson's  hat  warned  the  older  Homers  that  he  had 
lately  met  with  some  serious  loss.  He  was  a  man  some  years  older 
than  Mr.  Horner,  intelligent  and  companionable. 

At  first  the  children  kept  at  the  windows  of  the  carriage,  and 
did  not  weary  of  the  English  landscape  they  were  looking  at  for 
the  first  time.  When  they  were  well  away  from  the  far-reaching 
suburbs  of  London,  they  came  upon  beautiful  fields  and  meadows, 
with  large  trees,  pretty  stone  cottages,  hedgerows  and  stiles,  every- 
thing looking,  as  they  thought,  just  like  a  drawing  book  of  copies, 
or  as  if  made  to  match  a  description  by  Miss  Edgeworth.  Occa- 
sionally the  top  of  a  castle,  or  the  spire  of  a   cathedral  showed  itself 


•FACING  HOMEWARD.  399 

in  the  distance.  The  neatness  of  the  sides  of  the  road  on  which 
the  train  travelled  attracted  their  attention  as  it  had  done  in  France. 
Here,  they  were  told,  the  master  of  each  station  may  cultivate  the 
around  about  it,  and  is  responsible  for  its  appearance.  When  the 
way  leads  through  a  cutting,  the  sloping  banks  on  either  side  are 
turfed  and  green.  No  one  is  allowed  to  cross  the  track  as  lie  likes 
in  England ;  but  at  the  stations  a  foot-bridge  leads  over  the  road 
from  one  side  to  the  other.  It  is  sometimes  inconvenient,  when  one  is 
late,  to  have  to  run  up  a  long  flight  of  steps,  across  the  bridge,  and  down 
the  other  side,  to  take  the  train  on  its  own  side  of  the  road ;  at 
home  we  should  not  hesitate  to  dart  across  the  other  track,  at  the 
risk  of  life  and  limb,  but  in  England  things  are  done  with  more 
method,  and  the  habit  of  arriving  at  the  last  minute  is  not 
ciilti.ated. 

Continual  looking  out  of  windows  at  flying  objects,  becomes 
fatiguing  at  last ;  and  after  an  hour  or  two  the  Homers  leaned  back 
in   their    seats,  and    their    minds    reverted    to    their  past    experiences. 

"How  long  it  seems  since  we  landed  at  Havre  !"  said  Mary,  "and 
how  many,  man}*  things  we  have    seen    and  done    since    then ! " 

"Which  do  you  like  best  of  all  the  places  you  have  been  in?" 
asked  little    Nelly   Ferguson. 

"What  a  question!"  replied  Philip,  rather  roughly;  "as  if  any- 
body could  tell  !  " 

But  the  question  set  them  all  to  thinking.  Mary  announced  at 
last  that  she  liked  Paris  best. 

"Why,  Mary?"  asked  her  mother,  rather  surprised,  for  Mary's  love 
of  picturesque  nature  had  showed  itself  very  clearly  of  late. 

"Oh  think,  mamma,"  replied  Mary,  "whaf,  a  cosey  time  we  had 
there;  and  then  there  are  so  many  attractions.  I  shall  never  like  Ger- 
man as  well  as  French,  but  above  all  I  never  shall  forget  the  pleasure  of 
learning  to  see  pictures  in  the  right  way." 

Miss   Lejeune   patted  her  pupil's  band,  but  Philip  said, 

"*Oh  pshaw!  there  you  go  on  your  old  masters.  I  prefer  the  Rhone 
glacier  to    everything   else    in     Europe." 

"What    a    cold    taste!'*  said    Bessie.      "I  know    what   I  like  best, 


too 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT.  < 


jogging  along  in  carrioles  in  Norwa}r,  with  something  beautiful  to  look 
at  sure  to  come,  when  we  turned  the  next    corner." 

"What   do  you  like  best,  Tommy  ?  "  asked   Nelly. 

"  Bears,"  was  the  laconic  reply  ;  and  Tommy  had  been  faithful 
to  this  affection :  bears  in  Paris,  bears  in  Berlin,  in  Copenhagen, 
and  at  Berne,  he  had  visited  and  fed  with  untiring  devotion.  He 
would  have  chosen  the  Zoological  Garden  for  their  one  sight  in 
London. 

Liverpool  was  reached,  and  they  went  at  once  to  the  large  and 
comfortable  Adelphi.  Baths  were  in  order,  followed  by  a  tranquil 
evening  and  good  dinner,  to  start  the  next  morning  perfectly  fresh 
on    their    voyage. 

The  ladies  all  stayed  in  the  hotel,  but  the  boys  went  out  with 
their  father  and  admired  the  broad,  well-built  streets,  handsome  build- 


ing 


s,  and  the  solid,  prosperous  look  of  the  place. 


Liverpool  is,  next  to  London, 
the  principal  seaport  of  England. 
The  older  parts  of  the  town  are 
narrow  and  ill  built,  but  pictur- 
esque •  in  the  new  part  they  are 
wide,  airy,  and  well-paved.  The 
Town  Hall  and  St.  George's  Hall 
are  showy  and  conspicuous  build- 
ings ;  but  Philip  Horner  was  so 
tired  of  buildings  by  this  time, 
that  he  scarcely  glanced  at  them. 
The  great  docks  interested 
him,  however.  They  are  the 
most  remarkable  feature  of  Liv- 
erpool. They  lie  along  the  mar- 
gin of  the  River  Mersey,  most  of 
them  parallel  with  it,  but  some 
jutting  out  at  right  angles  ;  wet 
docks  and  dry  docks  and  all 
kinds  of  docks,  immense  places  for  ships  of  great  burden,  with  gates 


LiVF.npooi,  boy. 


401 


402 


FACING  HOMEWARD. 


for  letting  in  or  excluding  the  water.      The  river  wall,  which  fronts  the 
line  of  these  docks,  is  five  miles  long. 

Miss  Lejeune  and  Mr.  Horner  found  much  to  admire  in  Liverpool,  and 
they  both  would  have  been  glad  to  stay  longer,  with  letters  to  a  few  of 


ARIZONA'S    WHEEL. 


the  people  of  the  town,  in  order  to  see  the  inside  of  some  of  the  houses, 
and  enjoy  the  society  of  the  place.  But  the  children  were  in  a  state  of 
unsettled  excitement,  partly  longing  for  home,  partly  looking  forward  to 
the  voyage  ;  the}r  could  no  longer  practice  their  rule  of  enjoying  the  pre- 


A  FAMILY  FLIGHT.  403 

sent  moment,  but  counted  the  hours  before  they  should  go  on  board  their 
steamer.  Tommy,  strange  to  say,  was  tired  out  ;  and  he  slept  during  a 
great  part  of  the  Liverpool  day.  His  mother  was  glad  of  it,  for  she 
wanted  him  to  be  fresh  for  the  start  on  the  Atlantic.  She  herself  was 
nervous  about  the  voyage,  and  spent  the  time  at  the  hotel,  changing  her 
little  sea  effects  from  one  package  to  another;  making  lists  of  last  things 
she  was  sure  would  be  forgotten. 

The  last  day  of  their  stay  in  Europe  arrived.  Their  luck  in 
weather  did  not  yet  desert  them,  and  it  was  bright  and  clear. 

Mr.  Horner  had  a  good  deal  to  do,  in  gathering  together  the  trunks 
which  had  been  forwarded  from  Paris,  and  as  they  Mere  to  sail  before 
noon,  they  all  went  early  to  the  docks. 

While  Mr.  Horner,  taking  Philip  with  him,  hunted  up  their  effects. 
among  others  their  sea-chairs,  left  at  Havre,  to  be  forwarded  to  Liverpool, 
the  ladies,  with  Tommy  as  guard,  sat  under  a  sort  of  shed,  and  watched 
the  bustle  alread}-  beginning.  Several  great  steamers  were  to  start  on 
that  day,  and,  on  account  of  the  tide,  all  at  nearly  the  same  time:  but 
nearest  them  rose  the  huge  bulk  of  the  one  in  which  their  passages  were 
eno-ao-ed,  the  Arizona,  of  the  Guion  Line,  —  for  Miss  Leieune  was  not 
even  to  go  home  in  a  White  Star. 

The  hour  of  departure  was  approaching.  Trunks  were  wheeled 
on  huge  barrows  across  the  planks;  passengers  filed  over  the  gang- 
way   to    the    deck    of    the    steamer. 

"  Are  we    all  here?" 

Mr.  Horner  asked  this,  coming  up  with  the  smile  of  one  who  has 
attended  to    everything. 

"  I  have  found  all  our  packages,  every  one."'  he  continued,  "  sea-chairs, 
rugs,  trunks,  —  I  think  nothing  is  forgotten.  We  may  as  well  be  going 
on  board.  Philip,  give  your  arm  to  Mi>s  Lejeune."  Philip  was  now 
quite  tall  enough  to  perform  this  service. 

Mrs.  Horner  took-  her  husband's  arm  ;  the  children  followed  behind 
them. 

They  had  to  turn  out  a  little  for  a  leap  of  trunks  ready  to  go, 
on     the    top    of     which     was    one     that     looked     very     familiar    to    them 

all.     It  was  a  little   portmanteau,  marked   ('.  II. 


404 


FACING  HOMEWARD. 


As  they  crossed  the  plank,  and  stepped  on  board  the  Arizona,  a 
gentleman  equipped  for  the  voyage,  with  a  rug  over  his  arm,  put 
out  his  hand   to    help  the   ladies. 

It  was  Mr.  Hervey. 


SEE!N    FKOM    THE    STEAMER'S    DECK. 


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k  H , 


